Vodafone Fijiana XV head coach Mosese Rauluni expressed his disappointment following their 17-45 defeat to Manusina Samoa. This loss has seen Fijiana drop to third place on the table with five points, while Samoa has moved up to second with seven points.
The outcome was important for Samoa as they aim to qualify for the Women’s Rugby World Cup next year, having previously lost to Fiji 27-13 in the Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship in June.
In a post-match interview, Rauluni acknowledged that his team was outperformed by their rivals throughout the game. “We trained so well this week, but we didn’t take it on the field,” he stated.
This match marked Fijiana’s first loss of the tournament after a convincing 38-3 victory over Hong Kong China last month. Rauluni noted that his team struggled to capitalize on chances and made crucial mistakes. Although Fiji attempted to rally in the second half, Samoa extended their lead with the help of Cassie Siataga’s kicking.
“We will have to go back and review our mistakes. There are a lot of things we need to work on and that needs to be addressed,” Rauluni commented, stressing that their poor game management is an area that needs improvement.
He pointed out that this issue was also evident in their previous Test matches against Scotland and the Netherlands, saying, “We had a lot of errors today. We cannot keep repeating it again and again because it’s costly in a high tempo game like this.”
Fijiana now has a week to prepare for their next match against table leaders Spain on Sunday. Rauluni acknowledged the challenge posed by Spain, stating, “We will go back and work towards getting back on track and winning the next game.”
During the match, Fijiana fullback Luisa Tisolo scored two tries, while captain Karalaini Naisewa added another, converting only Naisewa’s try. Samoa managed to score six tries, converting three and adding three penalties.
In earlier matches, Vodafone Fijiana XV won their first game 38-3 against Hong Kong China, while Samoa had a draw with the Netherlands at 8-all. Following these matches, Fijiana has two Test matches scheduled against Scotland in England in November.