Fiji out to make amends against England on return to Twickenham

• Fiji lost 35-11 to England at the World Cup in 2015
• Coach John McKee pleased with ‘ideal build-up’ despite Barbarians defeat

.

Fiji aim to improve on last year’s World Cup performance against England when they arrive at Twickenham on Saturday with a squad that includes three Olympic gold-medallists.

Fiji opened their three-match tour of Europe, which concludes with a Test against Japan in France, against the Barbarians in a wet Belfast on Friday night. They lost 40-7 but their Montpellier wing Nemani Nadolo warned England to expect a tougher encounter.

“We tried out a few new combinations and the weather played a big part,” said Nadolo, Fiji’s try scorer at Twickenham last year. “We have to go back to basics and work out what is best for us. England is a big game and we will be rolling for it.”

The Fijians faced England on the opening night of last year’s tournament, pulling back to 18-11 down in the second half before fading in the final quarter to eventually lose 35-11. Thirteen of that starting line-up are on tour, including the Racing 92 lock Leone Nakawara, one of the rugby sevens victors at the Rio Olympics.

The other two are the Toulon wing Josua Tuisova, whose nickname is the Human Bulldozer, and the utility back Vatemo Ravouvou, one of four players from the sevens squad who is making the transition to the full game under the supervision of the Fiji head coach, John McKee.

“Playing the Barbarians was the ideal build-up to the game against England,” said McKee. “We have been looking to change a few things in our game and we had a training camp in France before leaving for Belfast. We worked hard on some key, specific skills, and what is important for the players is that they are able to execute them under pressure in the intensity and pace of a Test match.”

“What pleases me is that we have been able to pick a very strong squad for our tour to Europe and we have included some local players who have performed well this year. We know where we need to improve and our aim is to build on our performances in the World Cup, starting with England who are currently ranked No2 in the world. One of our strengths is the pride the players have in representing their country and that pulls the team together.”

Fiji, who won this year’s Pacific Nations Cup, will field a team in Australia’s national rugby championship next year, giving local players the opportunity to play a higher level of rugby in a move funded by World Rugby.