Australia, Fiji won't be dazzled by lights at indoor stadium

Sapporo - Australia and Fiji are confident the bright lights of the indoor Sapporo Dome will have no bearing on their opening match of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Saturday's fixture will be the first rugby match staged at the Sapporo Dome, best known as a baseball and football venue.

The stadium is a completely indoor arena, with the lights especially bright on the touchlines and in the corners of the pitch.

Australia centre Samu Kerevi was relaxed about the unusual conditions, joking that fullback Kurtley Beale would be the one having to field high balls in any event.

"The pitch is awesome, the stadium itself, hopefully I won't be catching any high balls. That's KB's job at the back but I haven't found any issues with that at all," Kerevi said.

Meanwhile Fiji coach John McKee said: "The lights are the same for both teams.

"Sometimes when you're standing out in the middle of the field you could get a bit of glare with the lights but our back field players were taking plenty of high balls and getting high balls kicked to them at our captain's run, to get the feeling.

"I didn't see any balls going on the ground so I don't expect we will have a problem with that."

Meanwhile the guarantee of a dry pitch will be welcomed by two teams who prefer to play a fast, running game.

The stadium set-up is similar to the home ground of Paris-based Racing Metro, the club of Fiji flyhalf Ben Volavola and lock Leone Nakawara.

That ground is also a familiar venue to several of their Fiji team-mates who play for rival clubs in France's Top 14.

"Quite a number of our players play in France and they compare it to the Racing Metro stadium in Paris, where they play," McKee said.

"The difference here is we are on grass as well, which we prefer. It augurs for a great game of rugby, because no elements can interfere."

Australia have long been making annual visits to Cardiff for November internationals at the Principality Stadium, which boasts a retractable roof.

But Australia captain Michael Hooper reckoned the Sapporo Dome was something else.

"Very impressed by the stadium, it's like nothing we've ever played at before," he said.

"It's actually a different environment inside than it is from outside, which I think is quite unique.

"The field looks amazing, I think it's going to be a great spectacle for the fans."