The Fijiana 15s have intensified preparations ahead of their Vuvale Bowl clash with Australia, with interim head coach Mike Legge saying the side are travelling to Canberra this weekend with the intention of winning — not merely competing — at GIO Stadium on March 27. Legge described the build-up as rigorous and focused, with the squad now into its fifth week together.
“We’re not going over there just to compete in the Vuvale Bowl. We actually want to win it. So, we’ve put a massive emphasis on that with our girls,” Legge told reporters, underlining the team’s ambition as they seek to translate recent international exposure into tangible results. He framed the fixture as an important stepping stone “from the World Cup last year” and as part of the build-up toward the next World Cup cycle and qualification campaigns.
Training has ramped up in recent weeks, Legge said, with the squad put through a demanding block of sessions designed to lift physical standards and sharpen their on-field cohesion. “This is our fifth week now. Fifth week we’ve had the group together. Our last week on island before we fly up to Canberra on Saturday,” he said. “Preparation’s been good. Been hard, we’ve put the girls through quite a bit of intense training just to get up to what the standard’s going to be when we reach Canberra.”
The camp combines a blend of new and upcoming players alongside experienced campaigners, according to Legge, as selectors look to cement combinations and reward domestic form. While he did not disclose the final match-day 23 in full, the coach emphasised the opportunity the Vuvale Bowl provides to blood talent under pressure and test tactical ideas against a quality Wallaroos side.
Australia’s women’s XV, the Wallaroos, will host the match at Canberra’s GIO Stadium — a fixture that carries growing significance for both teams as they aim to measure their development outside of tournament play. For Fiji, the match presents an early-season opportunity to stake a claim on regional supremacy and to build momentum ahead of the coming qualification window.
With the squad due to depart this weekend, attention will now turn to final preparations on island and the fitness of selected players before the cross-Tasman trip. Legge’s explicit aim of returning to Fiji with the Vuvale Bowl in hand raises expectations and frames the Canberra test as more than a tune-up: it is being positioned as a barometer of how far Fijiana have progressed since last year’s World Cup.
The match kicks off on March 27 at GIO Stadium in Canberra, where Fijiana will aim to upset the Wallaroos and bring the Vuvale Bowl back into contention.
Leave a comment