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Byrne adamant Fiji no longer overawed by England / Photo: Yuichi YAMAZAKI - AFP
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Byrne adamant Fiji no longer overawed by England
Fiji coach Mick Byrne believes a landmark 2023 win means his side will be in confident mood when they face England at Twickenham in an Autumn Nations Series international on Saturday.
The Pacific islanders' last visit to Twickenham, two years ago, saw them emerge 30-22 winners as they beat England for the first time in eight attempts.
Two months later, they pushed England agonisingly close before losing 30-24 in a Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Marseille.
"Sometimes there are different personnel out on the field, but the fact that we've been there on that big stage at Twickenham and then in the quarter-final, it means we've been there before," Byrne said.
"It takes away that element of players being overawed by the occasion, which keeps a real good focus on our ability to play our game."
Fiji have several attacking threats, notably the centre pairing of Josua Tuisova and Kalaveti Ravouvou.
Tuisova, nicknamed the "Human Bulldozer", is a powerful ball-running inside centre while Bristol's Ravouvou is blessed with exceptional speed and agility.
"It's an exciting combination, especially when you watch them work together on the training track," Byrne said. "Kalaveti's grown enormously since I first had him at the Drua (Fiji's Super Rugby team) and his professionalism has grown.
"It's a credit to (director of rugby) Pat Lam and Bristol for the growth they've been able to get with Kalaveti. His game awareness is very strong, so having him in the middle with Josua gives us a nice, physical combination.
"They're both quality players and they run strong and run hard at the line, which is what we like."
(S.Perez--TAG)
