The Vodafone Fijiana XVs are set to embark on an exciting series of international matches in preparation for the WXV 3 tournament in Dubai later this year. These important games will provide the team with essential playing time and an opportunity to optimize their strategies ahead of the 2025 Rugby World Cup.
In a historic first, Fiji will face Scotland Women on Sunday, September 15th, with kickoff scheduled for 3:45 am (FJT) at the Hive Stadium. Following this match, the team, coached by Mosese Rauluni, will make another significant step by traveling to the Netherlands to compete against the Orange Ladies for the very first time. This highly anticipated match is set for Thursday, September 19th, at the NRCA Stadium in Amsterdam.
Rauluni emphasized the importance of these two matches in their preparations for the WXV3 tournament in Dubai. He stated, “The big focus is Scotland in the first game, but our main aim is to win the WXV3. It’s great to compete against a tough team like Scotland, who are part of the Women’s Six Nations, and the Netherlands, which is an emerging rugby nation.”
“The test matches provide us with a critical opportunity to enter the WXV3 ready for competition. We have included several players from the Women’s High-Performance Unit in our extended squad as we prepare for these tests. Scotland, which finished fourth in the Six Nations earlier this year and won WXV2 in 2023, will be a strong challenge for us. The Netherlands has qualified for WXV3 and is pursuing a spot in the Rugby World Cup, and they will present a different style of rugby, which is vital for our preparations for RWC 2025.”
At the WXV3 tournament, the Vodafone Fijiana XV will encounter strong competition, with matches lined up against Hong Kong China, Samoa, and Spain. The WXV3 tournament is set to commence on September 27th.