Beware the Fiji magic says Ellis
WALES captain Ellis Jenkins has warned his team not to get sucked into a loose battle with Fiji at Principality Stadium today.
The two teams meet in Cardiff with Jenkins leading Wayne Pivac's side in the absence of the injured Alun Wyn Jones and rested Jonathan Davies.
Wales haven't lost to Fiji since 2007, but that infamous World Cup defeat lives long in the memories of Welsh fans.
Wales have faced Fiji at the last two World Cups and been given significant scares before pulling away to victory. They will meet again at RWC 2023.
“Fiji are a team full of athletes. They have moments of magic with their offload game,” said Jenkins, 28.
“Where they probably struggle is the structured stuff so that's where we will be going after them. We have spoken about trying not to get tagged too much into a loose game, but also being accurate. We don't want to try and out Fiji, Fiji. They will make mistakes and it's about trying to come alive when they do and capitalise.
Wales ‘have to pressure Fiji into making mistakes'
“The 2019 World Cup game was a prime example of that. They turned it on for five minutes and no matter how good your defensive systems are, you don't really need to miss any tackles for them to get in behind you and score.
“The challenge for them is about trying to keep that consistency throughout the game and the challenge for us is to try and make sure we do everything we can to pressure their skills and capitalise on their mistakes.”
Jenkins leads a depleted Wales squad hit hard by injury, but head coach Pivac has still named a stronger-than-expected side.
Fiji are without their southern hemispherebased players and head coach Vern Cotter as they have not been able to travel north due to Covid-19 quarantine restrictions.
A first Welsh win of the autumn after back-to-back defeats to New Zealand and South Africa is expected, but Jenkins has told his team not to expect a foregone conclusion.
“It's a big challenge. Fiji are a physical team and there are going to be some sore bodies on Monday morning,” said the Cardiff back row.
