Wales number eight Alix Popham insists the squad cannot afford to think about what is at stake in tomorrow's World Cup showdown with Fiji.

Wales meet the Pacific islanders for the right to face South Africa in the quarter-finals, and for the losers it is the end of the road.

But the players reported a "chilled out'' atmosphere around their Pornichet apartment complex as they tried to keep preparations low key.

It is not a sign that Wales are taking this game lightly - far from it - but a deliberate effort to ensure they do not waste too much nervous energy too early in the week.

"Feeling the pressure would be the worst thing we could do,'' said Popham.

"We've just got to go out like any other game and just get a result and not allow them to play like they do in sevens and chuck it about.

"We've got to play a structured game and get a result.

"The boys are really looking forward to it and can't wait to get on the pitch. It's a must-win game for us and we want to get to the quarters.'' Fiji pose defensive challenges as a side that are virtually unique in world rugby. They are willing to attack from anywhere and are lethal broken-field runners.

Wales learned the valuable lesson in their win over Japan that they simply cannot afford to concede sloppy turnovers.

Popham was involved in both incidents which led to Japan tries - first he was isolated at the breakdown just metres from the tryline and he then threw an intercepted pass.

"To stop the Fijians, the first thing is not to give them the ball, not give them silly turnovers because that's where they are most dangerous,'' said Popham.

"If you look at the tries they scored it's from loose kicks or fumbles and they've come along the pitch so they're very dangerous in that area.'' That counter-attacking threat is likely to force Wales to reign in their own naturally expansive style to ensure they do not present Fiji opportunities on a plate.

"For both of those Japan tries we were in major attack positions and I think we have learned lessons from that,'' said defence coach Rowland Phillips.

"For one we didn't protect the ruck and the other we forced the pass. We don't want to take the excitement out of our game but we also want to use it a bit more wisely.

"Fiji have real pace and it is one of their key attacking threats."

He said: "We need to be very conscious of that."