FIJI Water Flying Fijians coach Mick Byrne is confident in the abilities of loose forward Viliame Mata as they prepare to face Ikale Tahi Tonga in the Pacific Nations Cup in Suva tomorrow.
The 23-member squad was announced recently, with four new players set to make their debut for the Flying Fijians.
Byrne expressed his admiration for Viliame Mata, highlighting his physicality and leadership qualities on the field.
He believes that Mata’s presence will bring confidence to the team and elevate their performance.
“When you talk about someone like Mata, you can’t go pass what he brings, the physicality, and the way he plays the game
“And you got alongside him Etonia Waqa making debut, it’s good to look back at the scrum and see the big number 8 their as well, he brings a lot of confidence to the players, and he brings a lot of leadership to us as well,” said Byrne.
In discussing flyhalf Caleb Muntz, Byrne emphasised his contributions to the team’s success, particularly in key matches against Scotland.
“Caleb was man of the match last year, we think he has been doing really well, in July he was instrumental in a lot of our good decision that we made, especially around our territory against Scotland.
“So, I’m really impressed with what he will bring, and how he leads our squad around the field.”
The two were also pointed as the key players to lookout for during the PNC by World Rugby according to Fiji’s media guide.
According to that, Kiwi-born Muntz has the ability, impact and poise on a rugby pitch that would consider him a veteran of the game.
That would be wrong, as he still only has 16 caps to his name since making his debut in 2023. He combines accurate kicking off the tee – a prerequisite for international 10s – with the ability to keep defences guessing with piercing runs and probing passes.
In Mata’s case the guide stated that if you were to ask 20 rugby fans to identify the current Flying Fijian who is the most ‘typical’ of the squad, the purest playing example of Fiji rugby, you would probably get 11 or 12 different answers.
But it’s a fair bet that ‘Big Bill’ Mata would get several votes, thanks to his oof-inducing tackling, his remarkable offloading skill, ability to produce rugby magic out of nowhere, and the undiluted thrill he still brings to the game in his mid-30s.
Byrne acknowledged the hard work and dedication of all the players in the squad, emphasising that their selection was based on their best performance.
Fiji will take on Tonga at 3pm at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.