Ireland v Fiji: Latest Odds & Analysis on Fiji Test
Following a statement victory against South Africa at the Aviva Stadium last weekend, betting sites fully expect Ireland to get the better of Fiji in their second game of the Autumn Nations Series this Saturday.
Thanks in large part to quickfire tries from Josh van der Flier and Mack Hansen, Andy Farrell’s Green Army came away with a win over the Springboks on home soil.
Having claimed a series triumph at the expense of New Zealand in the summer, this was another major scalp for Ireland.
South Africa are the reigning World Cup champions and remain one of the biggest challenges in international rugby from both a physical and tactical standpoint.
Franco Mostert and Kurt-Lee Arendse touched down to make matters interesting in Dublin, but the Springboks’ wayward kicking ultimately helped Ireland to record a 19-16 success.
Ireland will complete their autumn programme against South Africa’s southern hemisphere rivals Australia on November 19, but it is Fiji who will provide the opposition before then.
Fiji A Capable Side On Their Day
Currently 11th in the world rankings, the Fijians are coming into this game on the back of a 28-12 reversal at the hands of Scotland in Murrayfield Stadium last Saturday.
Their head coach Vern Cotter was previously in charge of the Scots for the 2015 World Cup finals and will now be guiding the Pacific Islanders – who are outsiders in the 2023 Rugby World Cup betting.
To date, they have played Ireland on four occasions and an Ireland XV selection twice. All six of these encounters ended in defeats, but the Fijians have enjoyed a number of wins against Tier One nations in the past.
Italy and Scotland are the teams they have beaten most frequently – the Italians six times and the Scots twice – but France were also accounted for in Saint-Denis as recently as 2018.
Going back through the decades, Fiji also enjoyed test triumphs over Australia in 1952 and 1954 – both of them at Sydney Cricket Ground.
Ireland Still The Hottest Of Favourites To Win This Weekend
With 18 of the current squad plying their trades in outside leagues (be it the English Premiership, the United Rugby Championship, the Top 14 or Super Rugby), there is plenty of quality contained within the Fiji ranks.
Nevertheless, this has done little to alter the perception of betting apps in advance of their duel with Ireland.
After all, Ireland are currently the number one ranked team in international rugby, even though this is something that is being taken with a grain of salt by those in the national camp as well as those outside of it.
Since losing to France in the second round of the 2021 Six Nations, Ireland have registered 15 victories from 17 tests.
It is anticipated this will become 16 from 18 on Saturday with bookmakers rating an Irish success at 1/66. It is plain to see that Ireland are virtually unbackable coming into the weekend.
In stark contrast, the most common odds available on Fiji is 14/1, which can be found on Betfair.
The chances of a first-ever stalemate between Ireland and Fiji also seems unlikely with odds on a draw ranging from 33/1, all the way out to 80/1.
Significant Winning Margin Expected For Ireland
Though it isn’t always the case, Ireland normally come through games of this magnitude with a degree of comfort.
That explains why William Hill are offering 5/1 on the home team winning by a margin of between 26 and 30 points.
The same bookmaker is placing a value of 18/1 on a Fiji victory that ranges from 1 to 5 points.
Elsewhere, an Ireland win of between 16 and 20 points is 7/1 with Paddy Power, while an 11 to 15 points victory for the Six Nations outfit as an 8/1 prospect.
These latter bets might be worthy of consideration, given Ireland head coach Farrell is expected to make a number of changes from the side that took on the Springboks.
Squad Novices May Well Get Their Day In The Sun
While centurion Conor Murray is the only confirmed absentee from the South African game, there were a number of bumps and bruises that Farrell and his backroom staff might be looking to manage this weekend.
An Ireland ‘A’ side took on New Zealand ‘A’ at the RDS in Dublin the day before the Springboks test and despite suffering a heavy defeat, a number of this squad may well get a chance to show their worth for the flagship Irish team.
Leinster’s Jimmy O’Brien was originally set to feature in that ‘A’ game, only for an injury to provincial team-mate Robbie Henshaw to elevate him onto the bench against the Springboks.
The early withdrawal of Stuart McCloskey saw him being thrown in at the deep end, but he acquitted himself well at the heart of the Irish midfield.
O’Brien is the latest player to be handed a senior debut by Farrell and there are six uncapped names in the squad for the visit of Fiji.
That means there are a number of players who might be achieving a career milestone on Saturday as they seek to be part of Ireland’s World Cup campaign.
Work Needed To Secure Irish Victory
Even if rugby betting sites have them as massive favourites, Farrell may seek to avoid going overboard when it comes to experimentation.
There is still a test match for Ireland to win this weekend and with their final game of 2022 coming seven days later against the Wallabies, there is an argument for maintaining a level of cohesion.
There was a raucous atmosphere in the Aviva for the South Africa game and the paying Irish public will be hoping to see another strong performance when the Fijians come to town.