SCOTLAND STAR WARY OF THE WARRIORS OF FIJI
JOSH STRAUSS will be meeting a couple of old friends this weekend in Scotland’s final game of their summer tour and is hoping to find them out of sorts.
Leone Nakarawa and Niko Matawalu shared the Scotstoun dressing room with Strauss when they were at Glasgow Warriors. The Fijian pair were firm favourites with team-mates and fans alike but, here in Suva on Saturday, all friendships will be put to one side.
‘Hopefully, Leone and Niko are not on form,’ said Strauss, who realises how much damage the pair could inflict on Scotland.
‘Individually, if you let them play without a structure and allow them to play their natural game, they are among the best in the world and can cause you all sorts of problems.
‘Off the field, both are very humble guys. On it, they are fantastic performers.
‘They both actually say the team are their brothers. I think the two of them actually mean it.’
After arriving in Fiji following Saturday’s heroic victory over Australia, it is difficult to escape the influence these two Fijian stars have on the island. Their photographs dominate newspaper pages and their faces are a constant presence on television.
Nakarawa, at 6ft 7in, is a tower of strength in the second row for this weekend’s hosts, while Matawalu’s off-the-cuff playing style at scrum half endears him to the home support in the same way Warriors fans took him to their hearts.
‘They love Glasgow and were cut up when they had to leave,’ Strauss told Sportsmail as he recalled the cutting of ties in Scotland — Matawalu for Bath in 2015 before moving to Exeter, and Matawalu for Racing 92.
‘Both have come to watch our games since they left.
‘Niko more because he is closer and drives up to watch them and goes out with the boys after games. He enjoys being back.
‘As for Leone, the way he is and with his links to Glasgow, it was tough mentally for him playing against his mates in the European Champions Cup.
‘He had come from this side of the world to Glasgow and was a really popular guy. He played well against us for Racing 92, but it must have been tough for him with his team going backwards and us winning both games.
‘It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me this weekend, playing against a fully Fijian team. Individually, they have players all over the world — like in the British leagues and in Europe — and they are amazing.
‘To play 15 of them will be a very different story, a great experience and really tough.
‘They are mountains of men and super athletes, like Leone, who is one of the biggest and best rugby players in the world. He may be a big man, but he plays with the skills of a top-class Sevens player, which he also is. They also have players like Niko — you never know what to expect from him.
‘Fiji play exciting rugby and have very big-hitters. Playing against them, I hope they don’t hit me too hard, so, as a team, we have to make sure we get the defensive side of our game right.
‘The pundits would say yes we are favourites by looking at the world rankings, but I don’t think so. With a team like Fiji, if they turn up on the day, they can give anybody a game.
‘The quality of the South Sea island teams in general has improved over the years. We can’t take anything for granted.’
Strauss, meanwhile, believes having Finn Russell and Allan Dell called up to the British and Irish Lions has given everybody on Scotland’s summer tour a massive boost.
Still on a high after the win over Australia, news that the pair would be on the Lions bench against the Chiefs in Hamilton had created ‘euphoria’.
‘Their call-up is good for the team, as well as Finn and Allan,’ said Strauss. ‘We will be getting behind the boys and watching the games when they are involved. It is another boost for the tour and created a bit of euphoria.
‘We knew something was happening before the Australia game, but didn’t know what it was. Afterwards, it got announced that they would be joining the Lions and it was fantastic news.
‘Allan couldn’t stop smiling. Finn, being the way he is, looked like he did not care, but he was delighted. It is good to be happy for people and their achievements and this was one of those times.’