Fiji And Samoa Prepare For Final Women’s Rugby World Cup Clashes

Article – RNZ

With both teams out contention for a place in the quarterfinals, they will be playing for pride in their respective final pool matches.Iliesa Tora, RNZ Pacific senior sports journalist

One more game. That’s what Fijiana and Manusina Samoa have left as their campaigns at the Women’s Rugby World Cup draw to a close this weekend.

With both teams out contention for a place in the quarterfinals, they will be playing for pride in their respective final pool matches.

Fijiana take on Wales at 1.45am on Sunday (NZ time) at Sandy Park in Exeter, while Manusina will meet the United States at 12.30am at the LNER Community Stadium in York.

Fijiana head coach Ioan Cunnigham believes the squad have a good mix of players, which despite the losses to Canada and Scotland, has been “fantastic”.

“The potential is untapped, and we’ve shown growth and improvement over the last three months,” he told reporters in Exeter on Tuesday.

“Where this team can go is really exciting, the athletic ability is unbelievable, and we’re starting to mould and create the style of play that we want to take to the world stage. I’m just loving it.”

Manusina Samoa head coach Mataafa Ramsey Tomokino said the players have enjoyed the opportunity to go head-to-head with the world’s number one-ranked team, England.

“It was a massive occasion, and we’re certainly stronger,” he told reporters in York.

Speed out wide

Cunnigham, who was with Wales prior to his current role, said their focus this weekend will have to change.

He believes the key is to be consistent and get the ball wide as early as they can.

“We have to focus on trying to create opportunities to get our players in space with the ball,” he said.

“There was a purple patch in the start of the second half against Scotland, where we totally dominated possession and territory, but didn’t quite get the points on the board. We got held up once, we had a try disallowed so the positives are there.

“We have to try to replicate that this week. It’s going to be a tough challenge for us, but we’re really looking forward to it. I think we’ve shown in the first two games what we’re capable of, and we’re excited by the opportunity this weekend.”

Cunnigham said having inside knowledge leading Wales as their head coach previously was an advantage. But he said the team will need to focus on their strengths and on how they want to impose themselves on the game.

Fijiana will miss experienced hooker and vice-captain Bitila Tawake, who was red-carded against Scotland.

Tawake has a four-match suspension, which will mean she will miss three other matches in 2026.

Cunnigham said it was an area of concern and they can not afford that against Wales.

“We always look to play hard, but fair, and within the laws of the game,” he said.

“We only conceded eight penalties against Canada and nine against Scotland, so discipline is good. We’ve just had tackles that are a bit high, which we’ve got to just work on.”

Lock forward Jade Coates said she and the players have loved the experience of representing Fiji at the world meet.

“We play the game because we love it, and we have a big purpose in our why and what drives our team is our faith,” she said.

“For us, it’s about coming and competing – it might be a surprise to some people, but for us it’s not because we see each other every day, we train together, and we see what we’re capable of.”

She said Wales is going to be strong but Fijiana is focused on “what we can control going into the week”.

“We’d love to go out of the tournament on a high, and we’re more than capable of doing that.

“On the third week of the World Cup, it’s not necessarily about who’s the better team – who’s got the heart, who’s mentally strong and can come out in the third week after two losses?

“We’re an authentic team and we are just human beings. We want to be known in the communities that we visited that we are good humans as well as good rugby players, and touch the hearts of not only Fijian fans, but the people supporting women’s sport.”

Manusina concentrating on their strengths

Tomokino said his side’s focus has been on their own game.

He said with Australia and the United States tied up going into their final pool matches, with a quarterfinal spot at stake for both teams, their own match up against the Eagles’ women’s side would be interesting.

“We want to look after our region; we want to look after Oceania; we want to make sure Australia [go through], in terms of the country, who are good contributors to our rugby system,” so he said, referring to whether they can help in stopping the Eagles from qualifying.

“So, it’s only right that I send a message to them saying, you’ve got to do your bit against England, and we’ll do our best that we can against USA.”

Tomokino said they are excited about growing women’s rugby in Oceania and calls on the powers that are to get a competition that includes both Australia and New Zealand going.

“We’ve got do stuff in our region. There’s some funding coming in from Pacific Coast Sport, as an example, so that we can create a Pacific competition,” he said.

“We need to mirror something like what the Six Nations have. So that’s us, Fiji, Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, who we’ve got in our back corner.

“We need to start doing that, and then maybe it branches out to an Asian country as well. I think if we can do that and get into professional spaces, then it’ll be much better.”

Captain Sui Pauaraisa said the experience so far for the team has been exciting.

But she believes the team has learned alot which would augur well for them going forward.

“Overwhelming, to be honest,” she told the media when asked what she thought about playing at the World Cup.

“We have never played in front of so many people. Even our first game against Australia was in front of 10,000 people. To be honest, coming into the tournament, I didn’t know if anyone was going to be in the stadiums.

“Especially being far away from home and not having many of our people here. But to see different countries supporting us and get behind us, and even on social media with all the comments, not only from our people, but just everyone supporting us, it’s very heartwarming. It makes us feel like we belong here, and we do belong here.”

She has called on her players to ’empty the tank’ against the USA Eagles, with the hope that they can also score their first try at the event.

“We have improved as a pack from the first game into last week’s game, into now,” she said.

“As a player, as a leader in the team, I always believe in our team but it’s within. We have to come together as a collective, believing in ourselves that we can do it.

“And I know that we can cross the line with the 23 that the coaches have picked for this week. We just have to empty the tank this week and cross that line.”

Both Fijiana and Manusina Samoa are expected to name their strongest line-ups available for their respective last pool matches.

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