Improved Fiji will be gunning for a rejuvenated Welsh side and dark horses Australia in an unpredictable Rugby World Cup Pool 'C', which may well stand for chaos at the tournament which kicks off in France on Friday.
Fresh from a maiden win over England last month at Twickenham, Fiji head into the World Cup as the highest ranked team in the section in seventh place ahead of England, Australia and Wales according to the official World Rugby rankings.
Bookmakers William Hill have Australia as 2-1 on favourites to win the pool ahead of Wales (5-2) and Fiji (6-1) and it would be an upset if the latter beat either given their opponents' track record at the tournament and traditional standing.
The flying Fijians, who have twice reached the quarterfinals in 1987 and 2007, always bring a squad packed with scintillating running and offloading ability but have struggled to translate that into consistent knockout round results.
The historic win against England saw Fiji outplay their hosts in the rain with some smart kicking and disciplined decision-making in a sign they may finally be ready to bring the grit as well as the glamour and progress further this time.
They were dealt a cruel blow however earlier this week with the loss of New Zealand-born flyhalf Caleb Muntz for the tournament due to a knee injury sustained in training, meaning a last-minute reshuffle will be needed.
The match against Wales on September 10 could set the tone for the pool, invoking memories of the famous 2007 clash when Fiji dumped their more fancied opponents out of the tournament.
Returning coach Warren Gatland has signalled his intentions to refurbish the struggling Welsh team by naming 23-year-old Jac Morgan as co-captain, albeit the men in red will still rely on veterans like Dan Biggar and Liam Williams.
The retirement of 158-cap legend Alun Wyn Jones signalled a changing of the guard that makes Wales more unpredictable, much like Australia whose own 125-cap talisman Michael Hooper was dropped by Eddie Jones due to a lingering pre-tournament knock.
That leaves the Wallabies - traditional World Cup powerhouses with two tournament wins under their belt - in the unusual position of being somewhat dark horse contenders.
They head into the tournament with 25 World Cup debutants in the squad, including raw talent like surprise call-up Max Jorgensen, 19, and 22-year-old Carter Gordon as the only recognised flyhalf in the group.
Rounding out the pool are Georgia (80-1) and Portugal (500-1).
While Georgia have yet to make it out of a World Cup group, their shock 13-12 November 2022 win over Wales offers potential for a repeat performance that would throw the pool open.
Portugal meanwhile have not featured in the tournament since 2007 and, while they are likely targeting their clash against Georgia on September 23 for a victory, their unknown quality adds to the sense that this is the World Cup's least predictable pool.
