THE Vodafone Fijiana 15’s side is in preparation for a series of significant international matches which will be crucial in providing valuable game time and refining their strategies ahead of the 2025 Rugby World Cup.
In a historic first, the Fijiana side will face Scotland women’s on Sunday, September 15, at the Hive Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 3.45am (Fiji Time).
The team will travel to the Netherlands for their inaugural match against the Orange Ladies on Thursday, September 19, at the NRCA Stadium in Amsterdam.
Head coach Mosese Rauluni highlighted the importance of these matches in their preparations for the WXV3 tournament in Dubai, emphasising the significance of facing tough opponents like Scotland and the Netherlands.
Rauluni expressed the team’s focus on winning WXV3, and the valuable experience gained from competing against strong teams like Scotland, who have performed well in the Women’s Six Nations, and the rising team from the Netherlands.
“The big focus is Scotland in the first game but the main focus of all is to win the WXV3 and its great to go against a tough team like Scotland who are in the Women’s Six Nations and Netherlands who is a up and coming nation,” said Rauluni.
“These test matches allow us an opportunity to head into WXV3 game ready.
“The squad has added a number of Women’s HPU players to the extended squad as we build to these test matches.
“Scotland won their finished 4th in Six Nations earlier this year and won WXV2 in 2023, we look forward to testing ourselves against them.
“Netherlands have qualified for WXV3 and are vying for a RWC place, they will offer a different style of rugby which is critical for our RWC 2025 preparations.”
The Fijiana XV will face tough competition at WXV3 with matches against Hong Kong China, Samoa, and Spain.
