The pressure might be on Australia as they face Fiji at the Rugby World Cup but head coach Michael Cheika is not feeling it.
Michael Cheika insists he is not feeling any great pressure heading into the Rugby World Cup as Australia prepare for their opener against Fiji.
The Wallabies reached the 2015 final before losing to New Zealand, but results have not been as impressive as Cheika might have hoped in the intervening four years.
However, hopes were renewed when Australia defeated the All Blacks 47-26 in the Rugby Championship in Perth last month.
New Zealand won a return fixture the following week to retain the Bledisloe Cup, yet it is clear Cheika and the Wallabies have drawn encouragement from their impressive initial victory.
Cheika has named 14 of the players that started that match in his XV to tackle Fiji on Saturday, with only experienced star David Pocock introduced in place of Lukhan Salakaia-Loto.
And the Australia head coach, who would surely see his job come under threat with poor performances in Japan, is feeling relaxed.
"You should know me well enough now - there is not much pressure," Cheika told reporters in Sapporo. "I love what I do.
"I am prepared to take responsibility and accountability and always have been for everything I do.
"I'm not being judged by anyone as markers [of performance] except myself and you know that I am coming here to win with our team."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Australia - Christian Lealiifano
It is remarkable that Lealiifano is in the Australia squad at all, let alone in the XV. He returned to the team in July for the first time since being diagnosed with blood cancer leukaemia and quickly impressed in the Rugby Championship. Lealiifano is moving to Japan permanently after the World Cup, having left the Brumbies, and will be keen to stand out.
Fiji - Semi Radradra
It would make for an incredible story were Radradra able to cause Australia some damage on Saturday. A former Parramatta Eels wing, he played once for the Kangaroos - Australia's national rugby league side - before switching codes. Radradra has largely played at outside centre in union but has the attributes to worry the Wallabies.
KEY OPTA FACTS
- Australia are unbeaten in their past 17 games against Fiji (W16, D1), their last defeat in this fixture coming in June 1954 by a margin of just two points.
- This will be the third meeting between Australia and Fiji at the Rugby World Cup. The Wallabies secured victories against Fiji in both the 2007 and 2015 editions.
- The Wallabies lost their most recent Rugby World Cup fixture – the 2015 final – and will therefore be aiming to avoid back-to-back defeats at the Rugby World Cup for the first time since the 1987 tournament where they were beaten in succession by France and Wales.
- Fiji have won five of their most recent six international fixtures, including their past three on the bounce; the last time they won more in succession was a four-game stretch from June to July in 2017.
- Pocock has won 29 turnovers at the Rugby World Cup, more than any other player in the history of the competition.
