Manusina Samoa delivered a stunning performance, defeating the Vodafone Fijiana 15s 45-17 at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai, a stark contrast to their previous draw against the Netherlands.
The match started with an impressive break from scrum-half France Bloomfield, leading to Samoa’s first try by Linda Fiafia just three minutes into the game. Although Cassie Siataga missed the conversion, she quickly added a penalty, increasing Samoa’s lead to eight points.
Fiji responded with a try from number eight Karalaini Naisewa 10 minutes later, narrowing the gap, with Luisa Tisolo successfully converting the try. However, Samoa quickly bounced back as Ana Mamea scored another try, and Siataga added the conversion, restoring an eight-point advantage.
Siataga continued to extend the lead with two more penalties before halftime, leaving Samoa ahead 21-7 at the break. Fiji had a try ruled out for obstruction just before halftime, which could have changed momentum.
Tisolo sparked hope for Fiji in the second half with an early try and conversion, cutting the deficit to seven points. Unfortunately, she received a yellow card shortly after, giving Samoa a numerical advantage. Samoa capitalized on this, scoring two tries from Karla Wright-Akeli and Bloomfield, with Bloomfield adding another score later in the match.
Although Tisolo managed to score her second try for Fiji late in the game, it was too late to alter the outcome, as Samoa concluded their impressive display with a sixth try from Easter Savelio.