Fijians determined to end on a high

London – Fiji want to finish with a flourish and return home from the Rugby World Cup with a victory that their spirited performances in defeat against the Pool A big guns have merited, coach John McKee ( left) said.

Having faced England, Australia and Wales, the Pacific Islanders bow out against Uruguay in Milton Keynes today, knowing that things might have turned out differently had the Flying Fijians not been drawn in the toughest pool.

“It’s just the luck of the draw, isn’t it?” McKee said.

“Looking at the teams we came up against and looking at the other pools, hypothetically we may have had a pathway to the quarterfinals, or at least an easier pathway.”

Fiji caused England more than a few nervous moments in the second half of the tournament’s opening game and the final 35-11 scoreline might have been much tighter but for missed kicks.

Perhaps jaded, they lined up against the Wallabies five days later and battled hard in a 28-13 defeat in which flyhalf Ben Volavola scored a fine try.

Defeat against injury-hit Wales was one that perhaps got away for Fiji, who dominated the scrums in an epic battle in Cardiff, scored one of the tries of the tournament through Niki Goneva but still lost 23-13.

One sour note for Fiji came with prop Manasa Saulo’s 10-week ban on Sunday for stamping on Wales lock Luke Charteris. –