THE Vodafone Fijiana XV’s discipline came under scrutiny after Alfreda Fisher’s yellow card was upgraded to a red card during their opening test against South Africa last Saturday.
The dismissal added to Fiji’s struggles as the side was unable to maintain the pressure against the Springbok women.
Head coach Willie Walker said discipline was one of the key areas the team needed to address ahead of the next test.
“We can’t allow discipline to dictate the way we play,” Walker said.
Fiji also struggled with ball retention, with the coach pointing to the number of turnovers as another major concern.
“It’s pretty difficult to play a test match with 15 or 16 turnovers, seven or eight penalties against a quality side like South Africa,” he said.
The coach said the team would review the match footage and identify areas that needed improvement before the next encounter.
“I think today just highlighted areas that we need to be a bit better at.”
Fiji’s captain Kolora Lomani also acknowledged that discipline and execution had affected their performance.
She said the team had moved away from what it had prepared for during the week and would need to review the match before adjusting.
The coach said the team needed to return to the basics of rugby, particularly controlling possession and making better use of opportunities.
“You can’t play a Test match with 17 turnovers. We’re just giving the ball away to the opposition,” he said.
“To compete at Test match level, you’ve got to be able to control your own ball and make the best of those opportunities.”
The coaching staff will now use the review period to work on discipline, ball retention and defensive execution as Fijiana prepares for the next Test against South Africa.
