Breaking a ceiling forged in strength and agility will be the main task for the Vodafone Fijiana XV when they face Canada, Scotland and Wales in Pool B at the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
The Fijiana XV face opponents who are all ranked in the top 10 of the World Rugby women’s rankings.
Canada is ranked second on the ladder with 89.77 points, Scotland at seventh place with 76.56 points and Wales coming in at 10th place with 70.81 points.
Fiji sits at 14th place with 59.98 points, a step up from their previous rank of 15th, which Samoa now holds with 59.72 points.
Punching above their weight will be one of their key goals, as they will face stiff competition with the three top 10 teams.
Canada and the Fijiana XV have met before on September 16, 2022 with the former winning 24-7.
The Fijiana last met Scotland in a Test match on September 15, 2024, where they were beaten 15-59.
The pool fixtures for this World Cup are different from the previous one in 2022, initially scheduled for 2021 but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fiji was grouped in Pool C with England, France and South Africa.
In that year, Fiji qualified for the World Cup as winners from the Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship held in Pukekohe, New Zealand in 2022, where they defeated Samoa to qualify.
In their first pool match against England, they were defeated 19-84 and then beat South Africa 21-17 in their second pool match.
Despite the upset, it wasn’t enough to turn their prospects around as France would thrash them 44-0 in their last pool match.
Meanwhile, heading into the World Cup next month, it’s a new team altogether as the side is infused with a mix of players from the Fijiana 7s team and the Rooster Chicken Fijian Drua Women’s team.
A majority of the squad that faced the USA Women’s Eagles last week in a Test match were part of the club, a total of 16 in the match-day 23 team.
In the Test, which took place at the Audi Field in Washington D.C., USA, they were defeated 24-31 after putting on a valiant effort to turn the tables following a 0-14 trail at half-time.
From the result, it’s indicative of a continued effort towards the development of the growth of women’s rugby in Fiji.
Besides this, the team was aided by the assistance of four players from the Fijiana 7s team.
As the World Cup approaches, the Fijiana XV have observed key areas considered vital in making changes to as they prepare to mount a formidable advance when they compete in England next month.
The Women’s Rugby World Cup will take place from August 22 – September 27.
