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It’s everyone’s second favourite team up against everyone’s third favourite team in the final match of the Rugby World Cup 2023 group stage. Fiji head into this match needing just one solitary point to qualify for the knockout rounds and send Australia home, while Portugal will be wanting to defend their reputation as no easy-beats this tournament. Read on for our Fiji vs Portugal predictions.
Fiji vs Portugal – match predictions
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Fiji have been the fairytale of the Rugby World Cup so far, and are oh-so-close to completing their storyline and making the quarter-finals. They’ll be eager to ensure there’s no banana skin at the finish line here, while Portugal will be hoping for exactly that. Here are our top predictions ahead of the Fiji vs Portugal this weekend:
Prediction 1: Fiji -20 handicap @ 11/10 (1.90)
We say this match will be close, but not so close. Portugal are a great rugby outfit, but the reality is, they still lost by 20 points to Wales and Australia. Fiji have beaten one of those sides, and should have defeated the other too. They’ll be dialled in on getting at least a bonus point in this match, and will see the easiest route to doing that as throwing the ball around and grabbing four tries. Do so, and they can’t be denied a quarter-final appearance, even if they lose. We say this will lead to Fiji scoring plenty of tries, and winning by at least 20 points.
Prediction 2: Fiji to 21-30 @ 11/4 (3.75)
More specifically, we say it’ll be a 21-30 point margin. This is about what the end result was when Portugal played Australia and Wales, and though Fiji didn’t turn on much of a showing against Georgia last week, we say they’ll be better this weekend, and will be able to dispatch a spirited Portuguese challenge.
Fiji vs Portugal preview: Bonus points could be crucial
Heading into this match, here’s a look at how both teams’ tournaments have gone so far at the Rugby World Cup 2023:
Fiji
Fiji have had a brilliant Rugby World Cup so far, setting Pool C alight with a huge upset over Australia. In their first match, they fell one pass short of defeating Wales, losing 32-26. They made up for it by beating Australia with an incredibly impressive performance, before gritting out a tough 17-12 win over Georgia last week to all but clinch a spot in the quarter-finals. Now, they need just one solitary point in order to make the knockout phase.
Portugal
Portugal have been very impressive this Rugby World Cup, despite being winless after three matches. Like Fiji, they fell painstakingly short of a victory in one of their matches, missing a match winning kick against Georgia and being forced to settle for a draw instead. However, Portugal have proved themselves to be no easy beats this tournament, giving both Wales and Australia a run for their money–and they’ll be looking to finish on a high, and do the same thing against Fiji too.
Fiji vs Portugal head to head
The head to head between these two sides has a small sample size, with the two nations only playing each other twice before. However, Fiji have won both encounters.
Fiji vs Portugal match details
- Date and time: Sunday 8 October, 8:00 PM GMT
- Venue: Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
- How to watch: ITV, ITVX or SC4 in the UK
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