Vodafone Fijiana XV head coach Mosese Rauluni expressed disappointment after the team’s 17-45 defeat to Manusina Samoa. Following this loss, Fiji has dropped to third place in the standings with five points, while Samoa has moved up to second with seven points.
This match was critical for Samoa as they aim to secure qualification for the Women’s Rugby World Cup next year. Fiji had previously defeated Samoa 27-13 in the Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship in June, which helped them qualify for the World Cup.
In his post-match remarks, Rauluni acknowledged that his team was outperformed by their rivals during the match. “We trained so well this week, but we didn’t take it on the field,” he said.
This defeat marks Fiji’s first loss in the tournament, following a strong 38-3 victory over Hong Kong China last month. Rauluni noted that the team failed to capitalize on their chances and made costly mistakes throughout the game. Despite attempts to rally in the second half, Fiji could not overcome Samoa, who extended their lead with the kicking of Cassie Siataga.
“We will have to go back and review our mistakes,” Rauluni stated. He highlighted the need for improvement in their game management, which has been an ongoing issue in previous matches against Scotland and the Netherlands.
“Today (yesterday), we had a lot of errors. We cannot keep repeating this because it’s costly in a high-tempo game like this,” he added.
The Fijiana now have a week to prepare for their next challenge against table leaders Spain in their third WXV 3 match on Sunday. “Spain is a good team, and we know the task is huge. We will go back and work towards getting back on track and winning the next game,” Rauluni commented.
In the match against Samoa, fullback Luisa Tisolo scored two tries, with captain Karalaini Naisewa scoring the third. Tisolo successfully converted Naisewa’s try. Samoa found the try line six times, scoring three conversions and three penalties.
Looking ahead, Vodafone Fijiana XV will also have two Test matches against Scotland in England next month.