A first visit of the Wallaroos to Fiji was an important development in the history of Oceania rugby.
The result, a 43-7 win for the Aussies, was expected (they now lead the series 4-0), but it gave Fijiana the rare chance to test themselves against strong competition at home. Their opponents at the World Cup will be Canada, Wales and Scotland.
They started well, profiting from an early yellow card for Tiarah Minns. A minute later new skipper Alfreda Fisher went over for what turned out to be her side’s sole offering.
A new-look Aussie team took a while to get their bearings, but by the break had established their greater cohesion and pace.
Ioan Cunningham, making his debut as Fiji’s head coach, found some satisfaction in his team’s performance. They limited the Wallaroos to two tries (Morgan and Naden) in the second 40.
Despite Fijiana’s devotion to 7s, they were found wanting in pace and precision compared to their opponents
This fixture was a stepping-stone for the visitors towards the Pacific Four series. Jo Yapp used the game as a chance to try out six newcomers, and she asked Michaela Leonard to hand over the captain’s armband to Siokapesi Palu for the day – an interesting variation on modern-day leadership practices.
The bad news came with two injuries, to Bienne Terita and Maya Stewart. Stewart was the 2024 Australian Player of the Year; her performances on the right wing had provided the sharpest of points for the Wallaroos’ attack. Ironically Terita’s injury happened as she dived into the corner to score.
Yapp had held Charlotte Caslick back on the bench, to give her the chance to acclimatise to 15s. She came on as Terita was helped off the field. Like certain other 7s greats, Caslick was making her international 15s debut at a remarkably late stage in her rugby career.
A new dawn for Fiji
It was a big day for Fiji rugby, as the Wallabies were there to provide a double header at the HFC bank Stadium, Suva. They too gained a clear victory.
The results reflect the problem of developing the game in the Pacific islands. There is no lack of enthusiasm for the sport; funding and competition are the drawback. Standards can improve only if they can enjoy a longer match schedule.
Once again I must question the conflict between 7s and 15s. in Fijiana’s case a player’s preference is likely to be for 7s, and that squad was busy competing in Los Angeles. It reduces the management’s player-choice for a match like this, and the time available for 7s players who return to the longer game.
A vicious circle.
WXV, introduced to overcome such inequalities, can effect improvement only very slowly. For as long as it remains limited to eighteen nations, there will not be scope for more emerging nations to qualify and prosper. There are many more of them than those scattered atolls across the South Pacific.
Even a mighty nation like Australia is short of top-level competition. Yapp will have been delighted with this extra fixture helping decide her best squads for the Pac-4 and the World Cup. The next port of call is Newcastle NSW on Saturday, where they will seek to overturn the weight of history and win a game against the Black Ferns. The Ferns will be desperate to earn the favour of Allan Bunting and his staff as they build a team to win a hat-trick of world trophies.
Injuries have a nasty habit of impeding progress. We wish the sufferers a quick recovery.
Teams
Fiji
1 Salanieta Nabuli 2 Keleni Marawa 3 Ana Korovata 4 Jade Coates 5 Mereoni Nakesa 6 Alfreda Fisher (captain) 7 Salaseini Railumu 8 Rusila Nagasau 9 Kolora Lomani 10 Salanieta Kinita 11 Alowesi Nakoci 12 Josivini Tuikilakila 13 Vani Arei 14 Repeka Tove 15 Luisa Tisolo (Atelaite Buna)
16 Lavenia Nauga Grey 17 Bitila Tawake 18 Tiana Robanakadavu 19 Merevesi Ofakimalino 20 Karalaini Naisewa 21 Setaita Railumu 22 Atelaite Buna (No 23 not indicated)
Australia
1 Bree-Anna Browne, 2 *Katalina Amosa 3 *Faliki Pohiva 4 Micheala Leonard 5 Tiarah Minns 6 Siokapesi Palu (captain) 7 Ashley Marsters 8 Tabua Tuinakauvadra 9 Layne Morgan 10 Faitala Moleka 11 Desiree Miller 12 Cecilia Smith 13 Bienne Terita 14 Maya Stewart 15 Caitlyn Halse 16 Tania Naden 17 *Martha Fui 18 Asoiva Karpani 19 *Ashley Fernandez 20 Emily Chancellor 21 *Tia Hinds 22 Trilleen Pomare 23 *Charlotte Caslick
Referee: Natarsha Ganley (NZR)
Result: Fiji 7 Australia 43
Scorers:
Fiji: try Alfreda Fisher; conversion Luisa Tisolo
Australia: tries Caitlyn Halse, Bienne Terita (2), Siokapesi Palu, Desiree Miller, Layne Morgan, Tania Naden; conversions Faitala Moleka 4
