Fiji vow to keep Namibia winless

Fiji are determined not to become the first Rugby World Cup scalp for outsiders Namibia when the teams clash at Rotorua International Stadium on Saturday.

Namibia's 0-11 record in the tournament makes them an easy target, but Fiji assistant coach Greg Mumm believes the Africans are convinced they can turn the tables on the islanders in the Pool D opener.

"Namibia have come out and said that they're aiming at us as the one game in the tournament they think they can win," he said.

But Namibia head coach Johan Diergaardt insisted his players were focused on their own performance.

"We re not worrying about Fiji," he said. "We are concentrating on our own game. We have lots to prove, so we are concentrating on what we can do.

"Fiji carry the ball well. They will have a lot of confidence knowing we are minnows. They will come hard at us from the start."

Shortfalls identified

While the Namibians are making their fourth RWC appearance, they are still searching for their first tournament win.

"I'm sure they'll do everything they can to make that happen," Mumm added. "We're confident that, if we can control possession, we should have the strikepower in terms of doing some damage, but that's going to be a big test for us."

Fiji, led by prop Deacon Manu, are keen to emulate their achievements in RWC 2007, when they reached the quarter-finals.

But Namibia's backline coach Riaan Jantjies believes he has spotted weaknesses in the islanders' line-up.

"We've identified some of their shortfalls and set up structures to counter their patterns and exploit their holes," he said.

Mumm, meanwhile, believes the Namibians will try to win the match through aggression and muscle in their forwards.

"Looking at Namibia during their Nations Cup tournament, they tried to have a go at other teams using their scrum," said Mumm. "They've got that African mentality of hard and heavy up front, whether it's mauling or scrummaging."

Fiji recorded their biggest RWC victory in 1999, when they beat Namibia 67-18 in the only time the teams have met.