Wallabies not thinking too far ahead

Cardiff - Australia coach Michael Cheika believes Japan's stunning upset of the Springboks is a stark reminder to all teams of what can happen if you take anything for granted at the Rugby World Cup.

The Wallabies get their campaign underway on Wednesday against Fiji, who were expected to be makeweights in a Pool A also including former champions England, Wales and Uruguay.

If Fiji's display in the tournament opener against England was not warning enough that a victory was by no means a foregone conclusion, Japan's win in Brighton confirmed it.

"I think it shows the great values that people have to have," Cheika told reporters in Bath on Sunday.

"You've always got to have that readiness in rugby, because it's a contact sport.

"It's a game where the humble usually succeed, you know what I mean? In any one contest, you might go good in one scrum and then you might get pushed off in the next one."

Despite their tough pool, the Wallabies have a relatively gentle introduction to the tournament with games against Fiji and Uruguay first up.

Because of the four-day turnaround between the two matches, Cheika has decided to prepare two different starting sides to face the weakest sides in the pool.

Despite that clear element of forward planning, Cheika said he had been working on the basis of taking not only one game at a time, but one day at a time with thoughts of the clashes against England and Wales kept on the back burner.

"You've just got to be on all the time," he added. "I think that all the teams who are coming here now more often ... are believing that they can win, as opposed to coming here just to participate.

"What we saw from Saturday's result, if you take your eye off the ball for a minute you will get pounded.

"I am certainly not going to take my eye off the ball and I will worry about that hurdle when it comes."