THE Vodafone Fiji Bati have been urged to use their 78-0 defeat to New Zealand as a learning experience after their Rugby League World Cup campaign ended in disappointment yesterday.
Head coach Mick Potter admitted Fiji struggled to handle the quality and physicality of the New Zealand side, which featured a mixture of experienced NRL players and younger talent.
Potter said the Bati were competitive in the first half but failed to maintain their intensity after the break.
“We probably didn’t handle it as well as we could have, but I thought they were right in the first half especially,” Potter said.
“In the second half, I thought we backed off a little, but our blokes never stopped trying.”
The defeat was also made more difficult by injuries, with several players suffering concussions and another sustaining a suspected jaw fracture that required hospital attention.
Potter also said the experience would be valuable for the younger members of the squad, who had faced one of the strongest forward packs in the competition.
He said some of Fiji’s younger players, aged 19 and 20, were exposed to a level of rugby they had not experienced before.
Potter also encouraged the players to build on the experience as they returned to their club competitions.
Fiji Bati prop Jacob Saifiti praised Kurt for stepping up as a leader during the difficult encounter and said the younger players could take valuable lessons back to their respective clubs.
He acknowledged the support from fans in Fiji and Fijian communities in Australia throughout the campaign.
“Just thank you for the support. From game one we felt the love,” Saifiti said.
“The continued support throughout this campaign has been unreal. We definitely hear the love and the messages.”
The loss ended Fiji’s hopes of reaching a fourth World Cup semi-final.
