The Flying Fijians will be based in Bordeaux confirmed as their base camp for Rugby World Cup 2023 in France.
According to World Rugby, each team chose its base camp with Fiji choosing the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region to be their home away from home during the pool rounds.
“The Team Base Camp choices are the result of a detailed process started in 2019 by the France 2023 Organising Committee and have performance at their core. The process started with a ‘Call for Expression of Interest’ which led to an incredible 89 applicants across the country,” the World Rugby said.
“Following the initial application phase, a pre-selection was undertaken based on two major objectives: To offer high-level facilities for qualified teams to prepare and train during Rugby World Cup 2023 in the optimum performance environment and to optimise teams’ travel based on their pool phase matches, with an emphasis on train travel to minimise carbon emissions in line with the tournament’s ambition.”
Following an extensive technical evaluation and visits from November 2021 to January 2022 by team representatives, each qualified team was presented with three Base Camp options, with a final decision made by the team itself.
Fiji is grouped in Pool C alongside Wales, Australia, and Georgia with the fifth team that will be known after the conclusion of the final qualification tournament expected to finish this week.
Meanwhile, the Flying Fijians return to the pitch this weekend to take on the French Barbarians in their final match of the November 2022 window. The match is scheduled for a 2am (Fiji Time) kick-off on Sunday 20 November at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.
