Preview: Fiji v Uruguay
Amidst all the talk of the 'Pool of Death' it has been easy to ignore the Fijians' punishing schedule that has seen them obliged to play England, Australia and Wales in the space of 13 days.
For a major side that would be a gruelling programme, for a team with Fiji's relatively meagre resources it seems positively unfair.
They have lost all three matches so far, but have made life tough for all of the 'big three' in their group.
Indeed the Pacific islanders' centre Vereniki Goneva scored one of the tries of the tournament when he crowned an 85-metre free-running move typical of Fijian rugby that brought the crowd at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium to their feet during a 13-23 defeat by Wales.
Fiji coach John McKee said the challenge for his side was to maintain their intensity throughout the course of a game.
"We have not been consistent enough though in our play of the 80 minutes to get a win," McKee said.
"This will be our challenge come Tuesday.
"The mood in the camp has remained positive and the players have trained well in preparation for this game and are very focused towards making their mark for Fiji in our final game."
Significantly, powerhouse flyer Nemani Nadolo returns from suspension and replaces Asaeli Tikoirotuma, who moves to the right wing.
With an average age of 29 years and 108 days, this will be Fiji's oldest starting XV since their 41-13 win against Japan at the 2003 World Cup in Australia.
For minnows Uruguay, Tuesday's match offers hope of what would be a celebrated win for the South Americans.
"It is our best opportunity and, without disrespect to Fiji, it is the only tier-two team we will play against at the 2015 World Cup," said Uruguay coach Pablo Lemoine.
Players to watch:
For Fiji: It is always such a pleasure to see the extraordinary skills of locks Leone Nakarawa, 4 Apisalome Ratuniyarawa – who run around with the ball as if they were centres. In the backline the focus will be on goal-kicking wing Nemani Nadolo and flyhalf Ben Volavola.
For Uruguay: Right wing Santiago Gibernau, lock Jorge Zerbino and loosehead Alejo Corral also return to the starting team after missing the match-day 23 against Australia. Mathías Palomeque and Jerónimo Etcheverry could both make their World Cup debuts off the bench.
Head to head: The set pieces are perhaps the one area where Uruguay could hope for parity – with the Fijian front row of Leroy Atalifo, Sunia Koto and Campese Ma'afu set for a stern examination from Uruguay's Mario Sagario, Carlos Arboleya and Alejo Corral.
Previous result:
1999: Fiji won 39-24, L'Aquila
Prediction: The bookmakers are suggesting a runaway win for Fiji, giving Uruguay a handicap of 38. We believe Uruguay will put up a sterner test. Fiji will still win, but the margin will be no more than 20 points.
Teams:
Fiji: 15 Kini Murimurivalu, 14 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 13 Vereniki Goneva, 12 Lepani Botia, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Ben Volavola, 9 Nemia Kenatale, 8 Sakiusa Matadigo, 7 Akapusi Qera (captain), 6 Dominiko Waqaniburotu, 5 Leone Nakarawa, 4 Apisalome Ratuniyarawa, 3 Leroy Atalifo, 2 Sunia Koto, 1 Campese Ma'afu.
Replacements: 16 Viliame Veikoso, 17 Peni Ravai, 18 Taniela Koroi, 19 Tevita Cavubati, 20 Netani Talei, 21 Henry Seniloli, 22 Josh Matavesi, 23 Timoci Nagusa.
Uruguay: 15 Gaston Mieres, 14 Santiago Gibernau, 13 Joaquin Prada, 12 Andres Vilaseca, 11 Rodrigo Silva, 10 Alejo Duran, 9 Agustin Ormaechea, 8 Alejandro Nieto, 7 Matias Beer, 6 Juan Manuel Gaminara, 5 Jorge Zerbino, 4 Santiago Vilaseca (captain), 3 Mario Sagario, 2 Carlos Arboleya, 1 Alejo Corral.
Replacements: 16 German Kessler, 17 Oscar Duran, 18 Mateo Sanguinetti, 19 Mathias Palomeque, 20 Franco Lamanna, 21 Juan de Freitas, 22 Jeronimo Etcheverry, 23 Francisco Bulanti.
Date: Tuesday, October 6
Venue: Stadium mk, Milton Keynes
Kick-off: 20.00 (19.00 GMT; 16.00 Uruguay time; 07.00 Wednesday, October 7 Fiji time)
Expected weather: Scattered heavy, and sometimes thundery, showers. The showers will also be slow moving, but some bright or sunny intervals will occur in-between them. High of 17°, low of 12°C
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Leighton Hodges (Wales)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
Agence France-Presse & @rugby365com
