Rugby World Cup

The hooker, who plays for Cornish Pirates in the English Championship, started for the Fijians in their matches versus Australia, Georgia and Wales and came off the bench in their other pool game versus Uruguay at the finals in Japan. 

It capped an incredible year so far for Matavesi, who also featured for Toulouse this year as a short-term medical cover signing towards the end of the Top 14 season. 

However, the 27-year-old has now taken to social media in the hope that some treasured possessions collected in Japan can be returned to him. 

Cheika has been criticised for failing to select the same player in the No.10 in successive matches since Lealiifano started both Bledisloe Cup Tests in August.

The position has taken on an experimental feel in Japan, with Bernard Foley handed a start against Wales and Matt To'omua against Georgia.

Lealiifano started the first and third games, against Fiji and Uruguay, and while not entirely convincing, he appears set to run the show against England on Saturday.

The New Zealand born player was sent off in the 47-5 Pool A win over the Samoans in Fukuoka on Saturday, for a high tackle on UJ Seuteni.

Aki faced a disciplinary hearing in Tokyo on Monday night, contesting the red card decision in a bid to be available for Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand.

But the 29-year-old failed in that quest and was hit with a three-week ban, that would even rule him out of the World Cup final, should Ireland make it that far.

The all-Six Nations clash that was due to be played in Yokohama on Saturday fell victim to Super Typhoon Hagibis and was declared a draw, sending both teams into the quarter-finals.

England face Australia in Oita and have begun preparations in Miyazaki, the setting for their pre-tournament training camp.

Just a few hours before they had been due to clash with France, all 31 members of the squad except the injured Billy Vunipola and Jack Nowell were involved in a practise session that developed into a game played at full throttle.

Piutau, who was celebrating his 34th birthday in his 43rd and final test at his third World Cup, scored a try and kicked the last conversion at Hanazono Rugby Stadium as the Tongans finished off their tournament in style.

Tongan prop Siegfried Fisi'ihoi opened the scoring and centre Malietoa Hingano crossed to give the Pacific islanders the lead around the hour mark, with fullback Telusa Veainu adding the fourth try after the final gong.

In the first quarterfinal, England will take on Australia at this Saturday before New Zealand takes on Ireland on the same day in the second quarterfinal.

The third Quarterfinal will see Wales take on France this Sunday while Japan will take on South Africa.

The semifinal takes place on the 26th and 27th of this month while the final will be held on the 2nd of next month.

Meanwhile in the games last night, Tonga beat USA 31-19, Wales thrashed Uruguay 35-13 while hosts Japan beat Scotland 28-21.

The Pacific Islanders have lost to England, Argentina and France at Rugby World Cup 2019 and need to beat the United States in Hanazono on Sunday to avoid finishing bottom of Pool C.

Coach Kefu, pictured above, a World Cup winner with Australia in 1999, had stated that a pass mark would be coming third and, with it, guaranteeing a place at RWC 2023 in France, but Alatini, one of his assistants in Japan, has still been mightily impressed.

Fiji were the last Pacific side to reach the quarter finals in 2007 and bowed out of contention at the current tournament with a narrow defeat by Japan on Wednesday.

Between the end of the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the start of the current tournament Fiji played eight tests against so-called tier one nations, winning three and losing five.

That included victory over France in Paris last year which lifted the Flying Fijians to a best ever eighth place in the world rankings.

Victory would ensure automatic qualification for the next World Cup and also keep alive their faint hopes of advancing to the quarter finals.

But coach John McKee said they're not looking beyond the 80 minutes on the field at Oita Stadium.

"The players are very much focused on their performance in the game because, as players and as a team, what we can control is how we perform," McKee said.

"We look for our top performance and, if we can put in our top performance, then those other things look after themselves."

There are five faces that remain from the 45-10 defeat of Uruguay, with Jack Dempsey, Nic White, Matt To’omua, Kurtley Beale all retained, while exciting rookie Jordan Petaia swaps to the right wing.

David Pocock will captain the new-look side in Michael Hooper’s absence as his workload is eased ahead of a probable World Cup quarter-final in Oita next weekend.

Remarkably, it’s just the seventh time Hooper will start off the bench in what’s set to be his 99th test appearance, and only the second time he’s done so with Michael Cheika as coach.