The Fiji rugby coach John McKee has revealed how the side have used loud speakers in training to prepare for their opening World Cup match against England at Twickenham on Saturday morning.
A sell-out crowd of 82,000 will watch the Pacific Island side face the hosts in the opening game of the 2015 tournament.
The Fiji team outside Hampton Court Palace in London, following their official Rugby World Cup welcoming ceremony. Photo: Supplied / England Rugby 2015
Expecting a raucous atmosphere, Fiji have prepared accordingly by attempting to recreate similar noise levels.
"We had a little bit of a strategy earlier in the campaign in Fiji, we had a PA system playing crowd noise and the sounds from Twickenham," said McKee.
"That was part of our preparation. Just the normal crowd noise from Twickenham, they took it off some of the footage.
"It was good in those sessions we did it, it affected the intensity of the training. It's hard to hear calls and the communication in the game."
McKee added that while this game would obviously be a special moment, Fiji's training hadn't been too different to any other Test match.
"In a lot of ways there's two sides to it. There's the challenge and the motivation of playing the opening game. That in itself is a big motivator for the team's performance.
"It's actually been low-key and we're focusing on the things that we need to do and our game on Friday, and the strengths and weaknesses of England.
"In a lot of ways it hasn't been different from other test match preparation."
Commentating on his team's emotions, captain Sunia Koto said they were mixed.
"Part nervous but the atmosphere is a lot about excitement. It's truly an honour to be playing in the World Cup but the opportunity to play in the opening match against the hosts is truly a great honour. It will be remembered in 10 years' time, we'll be telling stories in the village about the day we played the opening match in the World Cup."
