Rampant Fiji could find Italy a tough nut to crack

Fiji v Italy
Premier Sports, 8.40am Friday

Fiji have been rampant in their opening two World Cup matches and they can secure their place in the quarter-finals with victory over Italy in Canberra.

A 58-12 win over USA in their opener was followed by an astonishing 72-6 win over Wales last week.

The Fijians are 80-1 to win the tournament having been as big as 125-1 at the start but even they will admit that looks beyond them.

Scoring points hasn't been difficult, though, even if the calibre of opposition hasn't been up to much.

However, the Italians have also been impressive and will represent a step up in class for Fiji.

A 36-12 loss to Ireland was no disgrace for Italy and they bounced back impressively to beat USA 46-0.

That leaves them with a chance of qualifying but odds of 9-1 about them getting the better of the Bati tells its own story.

The Italians are well marshalled by skipper Mark Minichiello and possess enough nous in their experienced squad to warrant being backed with a 22-point handicap start.

A victory looks out of reach but they could stem the flow from their free-scoring opponents.

Recommendation
Italy +22
2pts 11-10 BoyleSports

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