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NANTES - Fiji captain Mosese Rauluni insisted his team hadn't finished with the World Cup after reaching their first quarter-final in 20 years with a stunning 38-34 win over Wales.
The Pacific Islanders, renowned for their success in the sevens game, married their traditional skills of handling at pace and tough-tackling to a stamina and defensive resilience that many critics thought was beyond them as they emerged victorious in the game of the tournament to date.
Fiji, in a clash where the lead changed hands four times, stunned Wales and delighted neutrals at the Stade de la Beaujoire with an extraordinary burst of 25 points in just nine sensational first-half minutes.
Tries from flanker Akapusi Qera and wing Vilimoni Delasau, both of whom had a major impact on the game, and second row Kele Leawere left Wales and their supporters bewildered.
The Six Nations side rallied early in the second half after Qera had been yellow-carded on the stroke of half-time, wing Shane Williams scoring a contender for try of the tournament with a side-stepping solo run.
And Wales went ahead with just seven minutes on the clock thanks to an interception try from flanker Martyn Williams.
But Fiji would not be denied and prop Graham Dewes forced his way over from close range at a 77th minute ruck to seal a famous win.
"It's probably one of the greatest victories Fiji has ever had," Rauluni said.
"But we've said to the boys the job's not over. We've got other things to strive for," said the scrum-halfof the October 7 quarter-final against South Africa in Marseille.
"We haven't got to the quarter-finals for 20 years. We closely missed out on the last World Cup against Scotland, and the World Cup before that against France. I was involved in both of those, and to get to the quarter-finals, I've finally done it."
Rauluni said rugby's importance to Fijian society as a whole could not be understated.
"One of the villages actually climbed a mountain with a generator and TV and watched it (the match) at the top of the mountain because they couldn't pick up the frequency in the village. That's the sort of thing we're playing for. It makes your voice go away and brings a tear to your eye."
Fiji coach Ilie Tabua, in an echo of comments from his Tonga and Samoa counterparts, said it was vital his team was allowed to build on this performance by having greater exposure to top-class rugby between World Cups.
"It (the win) shows that the tier two nations can compete, given there is more competition with the level one (teams), not only here at the World Cup."
And he said the introduction of a Fijian or Pacific side into the southern hemisphere's elite Super 14 club competition would act could raise the standard of the national team yet further.
"Super 14 would be good. Two-thirds of our players are actually playing here in Europe, and it doesn't help us with our season. We need to develop other players that are in the islands and be accepted in one of those competitions."
Looking ahead to the South Africa match, he added: "The Springboks are always going to be tough.
"I think any tier-one is always going to be targeting us in the forwards. They did it to Samoa, they did it to Tonga, and it's obvious that they are going to control the game that way."
- AFP
