FIJI need a miracle. They need the heavens to open, the seas to part and a second coming of Christ as part of the half-time entertainment.

If all that happens, Fiji could win the World Cup. It would be one of the greatest upsets in world sporting history.

They need a large chunk of divine intervention and just before kick-off in the World Cup semi-final against the devilish Australia tonight, two pastors will do their best to provide it.

Most rugby league teams have wrestling coaches on their support staff. The Bati have a couple of pastors on their books. The majority of the Bati are so deeply religious they're making a sacrifice by even playing on a Sunday. Captain Wes Naiqama's sentimental favourites will arrive at the Sydney Football Stadium two hours before kick-off and indulge in a ritual not often scene in the brutal world of league.

"We'll have our time when we first get there, massage and physio and that sort of stuff but before we run out and warm up we gather with the two pastors we've got travelling with us," Naiqama told The Sun-Herald.

"They will give us a word from the Bible and we'll pray, then we'll warm up. There's a hymn and a prayer before the game and at the end, there's another prayer and hymn.

"There are a lot of religious boys in our team, especially the boys from back home. It's been pretty funny. When we went into camp, the boys wouldn't train on Sundays. They said it was the day of rest, so we had a bit of trouble trying to convince them we had to get some work done on Sundays if we were going to prepare properly for a World Cup.

"They kept saying, 'No, no, we're not allowed to run around on a Sunday.' They're OK with playing games on Sundays, obviously you can't change that, but with the training they're like, 'It's only a training session, we can just make it tomorrow."'

The Bati have as many pastors as coaches. Parramatta's Jarryd Hayne says his life has been transformed by them and Naiqama says the Bati, meaning warrior, cannot be defeated, in the most deep and meaningful sense of the word, regardless of the potentially demonic scoreline tonight.

"We will prepare ourselves physically and mentally for the football, and we will prepare spiritually," Naiqama said.

"I'm all for it. I haven't been to church in a while but I grew up with the church so I know what it's all about. It's been great to get back into it. It's been refreshing.

"It's been an eye-opener to see how much faith and self-belief it instils in the boys. There's a lot of boys who just play park footy and local footy back home but the prospect of playing the world's best team, playing against guys like Darren Lockyer, just doesn't faze any of them. That's what the church brings to them, this self-belief.

"For us to have played like we have, it's just been really exciting. We're looking forward to playing Australia. They've been a great side for as long as I can remember and never been touched up. It's going to be tough but it's going to be good."

Any chance of a miracle?

"Who knows," Naiqama said. "We've got something special in this side, but who knows. You never know."

In 2007, back when he was spending two soul-destroying days a week in a Paramatta jail for his fourth conviction for driving while disqualified, back when he was the bad boy and the wasted talent and the owner of all those terms cloaked in doom and gloom, back when his life was skidding out of control, Naiqama nearly quit the game. He's since become a key member of the Newcastle Knights and the leader of the Bati in an honour he will forever cherish.

"Back then, I never thought I'd be where I am now," he said. "There were times there where I thought, 'Is it all worth it?' I was just so close to giving it away. I'm glad I hung in there. It's all turned around for me and now we're playing in a semi-final to get into a final of the World Cup. It's amazing. It's been a pretty good turnaround.

"It was tough at times to get through but I had good support from my family and was given another chance to carry on with my footy career in Newcastle. It was hard but I got through it.

"There were definitely a few hurdles I had to get over but I'm a better person for having gone through it. Brian Smith in Newcastle, he's helped me in every way. He's not just a football coach. It doesn't matter what happens to you - it's how you get through it.

"To be the captain is just massive. I'm lapping it up, just enjoying the whole ride. It's something I'll remember and be proud of for the rest of my life."

Naiqama says a pre-World Cup bonding camp in Fiji has been the highlight of this campaign. Fishing for their food, trawling through the mountains for potatoes, every man for himself. The deep levels of bonding and spirituality within his team has led to their elevation into the top four league-playing nations on the planet.

Senegal beat France at the 2002 football World Cup. At the 1980 Olympics, the US ice hockey team conjured up "The Miracle On Ice" by defeating the USSR. This would top the lot. If only it was really possible.