MOST believe it is rugby league's version of Mission Impossible, but Fijian flyer Akuila Uate insists his countrymen have nothing to lose and everything to gain in tomorrow night's Rugby League World Cup semi-final against Australia at Sydney Football Stadium.
Rated 500-1 long shots before a ball was kicked in the tournament, Fiji have defied the odds to reach the final four.
Their reward for Monday's 30-14 win against Ireland in the semi-final qualifier is a showdown with world champions Australia, who have been ruthless in winning three group matches by a combined tally of 128 points to 16.
A Fijian win would qualify as one of the greatest upsets in rugby league history, but Uate said the Bati give themselves a chance.
"I don't want to sound like we have big heads, but we have faith in each other and believe we can do it," the 21-year-old Knights speedster said yesterday.
The World Cup is shaping as a springboard for Uate's already-promising career.
Regarded for several years as one of Newcastle's brightest prospects, he made his NRL debut midway through last season and marked the occasion with a try against Cronulla.
The following week he scored a double against South Sydney.
But with just four NRL games to his name, Uate was still an L-plater when the World Cup kicked off. He was nonetheless nominated by former Knights skipper Andrew Johns as a player capable of taking the tournament by storm.
In his newspaper column, Johns said he had "never seen a better athlete than this bloke" and told fans to "strap yourself in" whenever Uate got hold of the ball.
Uate laughed that "the boys started making fun of me" after Johns's bold prediction, but the retired champion has been proven an astute judge.
With five tries in four games, from a hat-trick in Fiji's series-opening 42-6 win against France and a brace against Ireland, Uate is the joint top tryscorer with Irish winger Damien Blanche.
Uate also leads the World Cup in line breaks with 10, four more than the next best, Australia's Joel Monaghan.
The former Australian Schoolboys representative and Fijian teammate Jarryd Hayne are the only players at the World Cup to have made more than 500 attacking metres.
Uate, who moved to Australia as a 15-year-old after being born and raised in the tiny village of Votua, on Fiji's Coral Coast, was looking forward to tomorrow night's game as a chance to enhance his reputation.
"I'm pretty confident but nervous at the same time," Uate said.
"It's a very big opportunity to play against Australia this weekend.
"I can't wait to get out there and show what I can do."
Fiji have played Australia twice in World Cup matches, losing 66-0 in 1995 and 66-8 in 2000.
TAB Sportsbet are expecting a similar scoreline tomorrow night, offering the Bati 50.5 points head start.
Fiji's hopes will rest largely on the experience of their NRL veterans, Newcastle centre Wes Naiqama and Brisbane forward Ashton Sims, and the firepower out wide that Hayne and Uate provide.
It is hard to envisage anything but a runaway win for the Kangaroos, but the competition favourites will be aware they are in for a physical game.
Fiji play a bruising brand of football and several Irish players were left battered and bloodied on Monday night.
Australia, however, should give as good as they get during the early onslaught up front.
And when playmakers Darren Lockyer and Johnathan Thurston start creating space for Billy Slater, Greg Inglis and Israel Folau, Fiji's wins against France, Scotland and Ireland could be quickly put into context.