Wales vs. Fiji: Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Rugby World Cup 2015 Game

A short turnaround for Wales will see a patched-up side take on Fiji in the Rugby World Cup 2015 on Thursday, with the Islanders still searching for their first win of the tournament.

World Cup history between these two includes a major upset sprung by the Fijians in Nantes, France, in 2007 when they came from behind in a harum-scarum contest.

It ended 38-34 to Fiji, sending them through to the quarter-finals and sending Wales home, where coach Gareth Jenkins promptly lost his job.

There are four survivors in the Welsh squad from that boiling day—Gethin Jenkins, Mike Phillips, Alun-Wyn Jones and James Hook, the latter who only arrived in the party this week following the decimation at Twickenham, London.

Fijian skipper Akapusi Qera will remember it well. He was the man who scored his team’s second try.

Wales have atoned since then, humbling the men from the South Pacific 66-0 in their pool at the 2011 tournament.

But Fiji seem to enjoy the surrounds of the Millennium Stadium. Somehow, they are able to drag Wales into a scrap there.

On their last three visits they have lost 11-10, drawn 16-16 and lost 17-13, per ESPN.co.uk.

One of the key subplots of Thursday’s contest will be whether Wales can beat Fiji with a four-try bonus point. England did it, Australia did not, and with the Wallabies still to play for both Wales and England, the Pool of Death could well come down to the extras.

Match details

Date: Thursday, October 1

Time: 4:45 p.m. BST/11:45 a.m. EST

Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

TV Info: UK, ITV1; Australia, Fox SPORTS; NZ, SkySports; South Africa, SuperSports

Live Stream: ITV Player (UK only), Universal Sports (USA)

Last five matches

Unless you’ve been living under a rock this week, Wales’ most-recent result will not have escaped your attention—Saturday's 28-25 win over hosts England at Twickenham. Prior to that, they routinely dispatched Uruguay to open their campaign.

Their summer saw them lose at home to Ireland before reversing that result in Dublin, but it was their final warm-up game, a limp win over Italy, that sparked a luckless streak of tournament-ending injuries.

Already without centre Jonathan Davies, the match with the Azzurri cost Wales Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb. Against Uruguay, fourth-choice centre Cory Allen scored a hat-trick then ripped his hamstring. Several other players were battered and bruised after that win.

Then came that brutal 80 minutes against England, during which Scott Williams became the third Welsh centre added to the long-term injury list and wing Hallam Amos joined him. One defeat in five hardly begins to tell the story, the soap opera, that has been Welsh rugby in the last few weeks.

Fiji have impressed in spurts but have failed to string a consistent performance together thus far. They rattled England at the breakdown and scrum but were ultimately outgunned 35-11.

Australia then beat them 28-13 after a four-day turnaround, and that match cost them Stade Francais wing Waisea Nayacalevu for the rest of the tournament.

Coming into the World Cup, they had beaten Canada at the Stoop, and before that, they won the Pacific Nations Cup, beating Samoa and Japan in their last two fixtures.

Given their record in Cardiff, of the three big dogs in Pool A, Wales may well have been the one Fiji were most optimistic about turning over.

September 26	England 25-28 Wales
September 19	Wales 54-9 Uruguay
September 5	Wales 23-19 Italy
August 29	Ireland 10-16 Wales
August 8	Wales 21-35 Ireland

September 23	Australia 28-13 Fiji
September 18	England 38-14 Fiji
September 6	Fiji 47-18 Canada
August 3	Fiji 39-29 Samoa
July 29	Fiji 27-22 Japan

Team lineups

Wales have made three enforced changes with Matthew Morgan replacing Liam Williams, Tyler Morgan in for Scott Williams and Alex Cuthbert taking the wing berth vacated by Amos.

Warren Gatland used his team announcement to fire a warning shot across the bows of his unchanged pack, who struggled at scrum time against England, per WalesOnline: "It’s an opportunity for the forward pack to fix a couple of things we need to tidy up from Saturday. It’s a reward for them too. I was impressed by some players who were happy with the win but not with their performance."

Fiji have changed six, with injury and the loss of talisman Nemani Nadolo through suspension impacting their selection. Nadolo was cited for a tip tackle against Australia.

Wales: Matthew Morgan, Alex Cuthbert, Tyler Morgan, Jamie Roberts, George North, Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies; Gethin Jenkins, Scott Baldwin, Tomas Francis, Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton, Taulupe Faletau.

Fiji: Metuisela Talebula, Timoci Nagusa, Vereniki Goneva, Lepani Botia, Aseli Tikoirotuma, Ben Volavola, Nemia Kenatale; Campese Ma'afu, Sunia Koto, Manasa Saulo, Tevita Cavubati, Leone Nakarawa, Dominiko Waqaniburotu, Akapusi Qera, Netani Talei

Players to watch

Tyler Morgan

David Rogers/Getty Images

Wales have gone through centres like most people go through underwear. Jonathan Davies was ruled out long before the squad was announced, Allen was injured and sent home after the opening game against Uruguay, and Scott Williams has now been discounted thanks to the knee injury he suffered at Twickenham.

It means Tyler Morgan, the 20-year-old Dragons centre, is the next cab off the rank for the so-far-unlucky No. 13 jersey.

Morgan was brought into the squad after Allen's injury, and it was speculated that George North may have been moved in-field from the wing for this game rather than the youngster being given a chance.

But Gatland has shown faith in Morgan and paired him with Jamie Roberts for this clash.

The coach admitted before the final squad selection that Morgan had been unlucky to miss out in a choice between himself and Allen, per the South Wales Argus, and said, "He is going to play a lot of games for Wales because he has got incredible potential."

We will now see, in the face of the powerful Fijian attack and big-hitting tacklers, whether that potential can be realised.

Timoci Nagusa

The tournament-ending injury to Nayacalevu has seen Montpellier wing Timoci Nagusa called into the Fiji squad

And he has been plunged straight into the starting lineup for the clash at the Millennium Stadium.

Many of the Welsh players will know him from his time at Ulster, but should they need a reminder of the danger the 28-year-old possesses, they need only watch the way he applied pace and power to finish this long-range effort off against France last year.

Nagusa finished the last Top 14 campaign as the competition's highest scorer, he has the ability to pose a threat from anywhere on the field and he faces another player short of game time in Cuthbert, who will need to be sharp to shut down this tricky opponent.

Prediction: Wales 28-15 Fiji

Odds

Wales 2/11

Fiji 11/2

Draw 40/1

Via Oddschecker.com