Wales vs Fiji Prediction & Betting Tips - Rugby World Cup

Prediction published on 08/09/2023, 17:50  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 10/09/2023 at 07:00 in Rugby World Cup Prediction

Wales and Fiji will face off in the final match of the opening weekend in the 2023 Rugby World Cup this Sunday. The Welsh are currently ranked tenth in the world, while the Fijians are seventh. While Welsh rugby has endured a difficult year, there are signs of improvement in recent months. The Dragons finished fifth at this year’s Six Nations competition but come into this match following a fairly promising warm-up campaign. In their four matches since the Six Nations, Wales were beaten by France and South Africa but managed a very good win over England in Cardiff. And, while they lost the return match at Twickenham the following week, it was only by a two-point margin, and they were right in the match the entire way. However, the task now for Warren Gatland is whether they can perform consistently away from home. This marks the first time that Wales are ranked below Fiji at a World Cup but that will not deter them as they have enough class in their side to secure an opening match win here. 

Meanwhile, Fiji are in an excellent space right now and enter the World Cup at their all-time peak ranking. They will also be full of confidence owing to their form in the lead-up to the competition. Fiji pulled off an incredible 30-22 win over England in their last match, taking their record to five wins in their last six matches. The only loss they suffered in that time came against the French. In recent weeks, the Fijians have emerged as one of the favourites to qualify from this favourable pool, and a win here would be huge in terms of the outlook for the remainder of the matches in the competition. Fiji are clearly the best tier-two side in the competition, but can they maintain their excellent form on the biggest stage of all?