The Vodafone Fiji Bati has booked a Rugby League World Cup semifinal spot after a hard fought win over Ireland by 30 points to 14 last night at the Gold Coast.

It will be the first time in eight years Fiji will take on World Cup champions Australia.

Touted as 500-1 long shots pre-tournament, Fiji Bati has defied expectations to reach the final four, in the process elevating themselves above more fancied rivals Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Samoa.

Now it prepares to face the might of the unbeaten Australians in Sydney on Sunday, the first international meeting between the two countries since the 2000 World Cup, when the Kangaroos romped to the tune of 66-8.

While anything other than an Australian victory is clearly a pipe dream, the powerful and flamboyant Fijians have showed enough to suggest a much tighter affair this time around.