THE Fiji Bulikula Residents produced a commanding display to defeat the Canada Ravens 34-12 in their second clash at Churchill Park yesterday.
The home side stamped their authority early, running in five first-half tries. Asenaca Diranuve crossed twice, while Asena Rokomarama, Vilimaina Natuku, and Salote Vuniwaqa also dotted down. Jennifer Ravutia added two conversions, with Rokomarama slotting one.
Canada replied with tries from Renee Gonzalez and Maddie Hobson, but the Bulikula went into the break with a comfortable 26-8 lead.
The Ravens tightened their defence in the second half and showed improvement in attack, but the Bulikula’s pace and consistency proved too strong.
Diranuve completed her hat-trick and Ateca Nacaucau added another try to seal the victory. Candace Scholten grabbed a late consolation for Canada, but it was not enough to stop Fiji from cruising home 34-12.
Bulikula coach Bill Tukana praised his players but admitted there was room for improvement.
“We thank God for the win. A win is a win, and we are grateful. I’m proud of the girls and their effort, but we tended to be a little casual at times.
“I thought we could have put more points on the board. Moving forward, we need to lift our fitness, work on the basics, and improve our communication,” Tukana said.
Canada head coach Matt Barron, despite the defeat, highlighted the progress his team showed.
“Bulikula was tremendous, but I’m proud of our performance. It was a big change from when we played on Wednesday,” Barron said.