Fiji are into the quarter-finals of Rugby World Cup in France, despite losing 24-23 to a determined Portugal in Toulouse on Sunday.

In what was the last Pool game of the World Cup, Fiji, managed to sneak into the last eight for the first time since the 2007 Rugby World Cup that was also played in France.

Fiji finished on 11 points in Pool C, which was the same as the Wallabies, but they advanced ahead of Australia with a better points difference of just six points.

The Islanders will face England in the quarter-finals and they can potentially face the Springboks in semi-finals.

The Fijians will fancy their chances against the English in the quarter-finals as on Saturday the 2003 champions narrowly edged Manu Samoa 18-17 in Lille. In addition, Fiji's 30-22 against England at Twickenham in August will still be a fresh memory.

The Fijian coach, Simon Raiwalu, said there will be a lot of work to do before Sunday’s game in Marseille.

“Firstly, to congratulate Portugal on their win. They played very well in the first half and with their try at the end, congratulations to them. Obviously, we are disappointed to lose the game, but our first qualification for the quarter-finals since 2007, we are very happy to be there. But we have a lot to do this week."

“In the first half, we had our chances to release the ball wide but we did not. Portugal took their chances and put pressure on us. We thought we'd done enough, but there are a number of areas to work on. We need to get those basics right.

“They play rugby to win and they’re very talented. They'll put a lot of pressure on us at set-piece time as well. Tactically, they'll look to take advantage of some of the things we've been doing, so they're a very good team. It's going to be a big challenge.

“It’s a totally different match and playing a different team. There will be aspects of how they play that are similar but they will bring new stuff as well. It's about us being efficient and doing the things we do well and giving ourselves the best chance to compete. We’ve played the team, the boys are comfortable, it’s not the first time, so I think it will be a good match.”

The Springboks in turn will face France on Sunday night in Paris.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport