Fijiana XV captain Bitila Tawake lauded her side’s effort and the performance of several debutants despite a 33–15 defeat to the Wallaroos in a Test clash last night. The result nevertheless offered clear signs of promise, Tawake said, and highlighted areas the team must shore up ahead of their next outing.
The contest was tight at halftime, with Fiji trailing narrowly 14–10. The Wallaroos extended their advantage after the break, crossing for three additional tries in the second half to seal the win. Tawake acknowledged the scoreboard did not go Fiji’s way but emphasised the positives the coaching group and players could take from the match.
“We’re disappointed that we couldn’t get the win, but I’m still happy with the girls on how they played today,” Tawake said. She singled out the debutants for praise, thanking them for stepping up on the international stage and expressing pride in how they handled the occasion.
The captain also warned that lessons from the Test are clear. “There are a lot of areas we still need to work on, and that’s what we’ll be focusing on now,” Tawake said, indicating the team will regroup to address the shortcomings revealed by the match before returning to competition.
Last night’s fixture marked a valuable experience for a Fijiana XV side integrating new faces into the national set-up against a Wallaroos team that managed to find a decisive edge in the second half. While the final margin underlines the gap to be closed, the close first half and the composure shown by several newcomers gave Tawake and her peers reason for cautious optimism.
The loss adds to the learning curve for Fiji’s women’s XVs as they build depth and international experience. With Tawake as captain, the team will now turn focus to training and review work to convert the positives from last night into a stronger showing in their next Test match.
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