In a pulsating encounter under the Coral Coast sun, the Vodafone Fijiana XV held off a spirited Samoan fightback to retain their Oceania Rugby Women’s XV Challenge title with a hard-fought 24-20 victory. 6t3q54
Fiji started strongly, with hooker Bitila Tawake crashing over from a well-executed line-out maul just four minutes into the match. The conversion was missed, and the hosts led 5-0.
Samoa had their chances, with winger Davina Lasina nearly capitalizing on a backline move in the 16th minute, only for Fiji’s drifting defense to force a knock-on. The game saw a brief setback for Fiji when Michella Stolz was yellow-carded for an accidental head clash with Samoa’s outside centre Drenna Falaniko, leaving Fiji with 14 players for 10 minutes.
Despite being a player down, Fiji extended their lead in the 32nd minute when Ema Adivitaloga powered over after a line-out win near Samoa’s posts. Luisa Tisolo added the extras, making it 12-5. Just before halftime, Fiji struck again—another stolen line-out allowed Stolz to break free before offloading to Adivitaloga, who completed her brace. The missed conversion left the halftime score at 17-5.
The second half started slowly, with both teams struggling with handling errors. However, Samoa found momentum in the 49th minute when their inside center Faasua Makisi charged-down kick and ed to her outside center Drenna Falaniko to score their second try (17-10).
Fresh legs in the Samoan scrum turned the tide, and in the 57th minute, replacement winger Linda Fiafia (jersey 22) showcased her speed and strength, breaking tackles to score in the corner (17-15).
Fiji responded swiftly—Repeka Tove pounced on a loose ball from a Samoa scrum in their own 22, kicking ahead and grounding it for Fiji’s fourth try. The conversion extended the lead to 24-15.
But Samoa refused to surrender. Fiafia struck again in the 71st minute, burning down the wing to narrow the gap to 24-20. However, Fiji’s resolute defense in the dying minutes secured their victory.
Samoa’s Captain, Sui Pauaraisi praised her team’s resilience, especially given the emotional challenges they faced:
“I’m so proud of our girls. Every campaign, it’s always been a different team—this time we had eight debutants, and they stepped up. We also played for our sisters who lost loved ones—Casey lost her mum, and another lost her dad. That’s how connected this team is.”
Fiji’s Captain, Alreda Fisher, expressed pride in her team’s performance:
“It’s been an honor defending our title on home soil. A big vinaka vakalevu to the girls. We now look forward to the USA match, which will be great preparation for the World Cup.”
Both teams now shift focus to test matches before the 2025 Rugby World Cup in England. Fiji is in Pool B (Canada, Scotland, Wales), while Samoa faces a tough Pool A (England, Australia, USA). The Womens Rugby World Cup is scheduled between August 22nd to September 27th