Vodafone Fijiana XV head coach Mosese Rauluni expressed his disappointment following the team’s 17-45 defeat to Manusina Samoa. With this loss, Fiji has slipped to third place in the standings with five points, while Samoa has moved up to second with seven points. This victory was significant for Samoa as they are competing to qualify for the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup, having previously lost to Fiji in the Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship earlier this year.
In his post-match remarks, Rauluni acknowledged that his team was outplayed throughout the match. He stated, “We trained so well this week, but we didn’t take it on the field.” The coach pointed out that Fiji failed to capitalize on their scoring opportunities and made critical mistakes that proved costly. Despite some effort in the second half, Fiji was unable to close the gap as Samoa increased their lead, aided by the kicking of Cassie Siataga.
Rauluni emphasized the need for the team to review their errors, stating there are many areas that require improvement. He admitted the team’s poor game management was a concern, marking it as an issue that had also arisen during their previous matches against Scotland and the Netherlands.
“The number of mistakes we made today (yesterday) was significant,” Rauluni noted. “We cannot afford to keep repeating them as they are detrimental in a fast-paced game.”
The Fijiana team has a week to regroup before their next match against table leaders Spain on Sunday. Rauluni recognized the challenge posed by Spain, saying, “Spain is a good team and we know the task is huge. We will go back and work towards getting back on track to win the next game.”
In the match against Samoa, Fijiana fullback Luisa Tisolo scored two tries, with captain Karalaini Naisewa contributing one. Tisolo successfully converted Naisewa’s try. Samoa, on the other hand, scored six tries, with three conversions and three penalties. In their previous outing, Vodafone Fijiana XV won 38-3 against Hong Kong China, while Samoa managed an 8-all draw against the Netherlands. The Fijiana team is also set to play two test matches against Scotland in England next month.