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Last Updated: Sep 20, 2007 - 3:04:09 PM |
While he will man the wing against the country of his birth, Tuqiri wants his 28th birthday to be special.
"Hopefully, I can get a bit of a roll on and get some form going in to the quarter-finals," Tuqiri said
However, he has warned his team that Fiji will be no pushover and will be out to test its mettle against the Wallabies.
"Fiji is always unpredictable. It's whether they turn up mentally and I think they'll turn up for this one," he said. "Knowing the Fijian psyche a bit, they love playing against the bigger nations and playing well against them so this'll be a good test for them and a good grade to see where they're at before they head into Wales."
Tuqiri who captained the Fiji Bati at the rugby league World Cup in 2000 said the Fijian mindset when given a sniff they will take a mile.
"I was really proud of representing them. It's a tight knit community. We got in there and had a dig and I think that's what the Fijian boys will be doing this weekend," Tuqiri said.
"We didn't have anything to lose and that's the mindset I think they're going to go into the match against Australia with this weekend.
"We've just got to watch that they don't come up with anything too freaky or anything else, because you can't give them too much of a sniff.
"I certainly know from playing on that side of the fence that if you get a bit of a sniff, get a bit of a roll on, you start trying things and they come off.
"We just can't give Fiji too much leeway in that sense."
Wallaby coach John Connolly said there was no way they would underestimate Fiji after naming relatively a first string XV. Fiji is just an unorthodox side, aren't they," Connolly said.
"A side that if you're loose against them, regardless of what team they put on the field they can score tries.
"We have a way we want to play them but if you play the Fijian style you'll get in trouble, so we're going to play to our strengths."
Australia: Matt Dunning, Stephen Moore, Guy Shepherdson, Mark Chisholm, Daniel Vickerman, Rocky Elsom, Phil Waugh, Wycliff Palu, George Gregan (c), Berrick Barnes, Lote Tuqiri, Matt Giteau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Drew Mitchell, Chris Latham. Replacements:
Adam Freier, Greg Holmes, Hugh McMeniman, Stephen Hoiles, Sam Cordingley, Scott Staniforth, Julian Huxley
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