VODAFONE Fijiana XV will look to turn last year’s narrow defeat to Spain into victory when the two sides meet at 4pm today in Hong Kong.
Fiji lost to Spain by two points in the WXV tournament in Dubai last year, but Fijiana captain Kolora Lomani believes the experience has given the team valuable lessons ahead of their rematch.
The Fijiana head into today’s match with confidence after beating Japan 22-17 last weekend.
Lomani said Spain remained a physical and passionate side, with strong runners and pace in the backline.
“They’re a really physical and passionate team as well. They’ve got really strong runners and speed in the backline,” she said.
The Fijiana have studied Spain’s recent matches against Hong Kong China and the Netherlands and identified areas they believe they can exploit.
Lomani said the players would need to trust one another and follow the plan put in place by the coaching staff.
“We just have to trust each other as a whole team and trust the coaches and what they’ve given us to execute,” she said.
Coach Willie Walker said the team had prepared well since arriving in Hong Kong and was focused on building on its performance against Japan.
Walker has kept his approach simple since taking charge, focusing on the fundamentals while allowing the players to maintain their natural attacking instincts.
He said the players had responded positively to the changes and were showing a strong desire to learn.
Walker said the squad was fully fit heading into the match, with only minor knocks being managed during the week.
With Hong Kong China and the Netherlands also part of Fiji’s WXV campaign, Walker said the immediate focus remained on Spain while the team continued to develop.
The Fijiana will be hoping to build on last weekend’s win over Japan and make amends for their narrow loss to Spain when they take the field today.
