Fiji Water Flying Fijians head coach Senirusi Seruvakula says his side must strike the right balance and play smarter if they are to challenge England in their second Nations Championship clash this weekend.
The Flying Fijians have settled into their Liverpool camp ahead of Saturday’s Test at Hill Dickinson Stadium, with the squad holding its first training session after arriving from Cardiff.
The day began with a recovery gym session to shake off the effects of travel and last weekend’s opener before attention turned fully to England.
Reflecting on Fiji’s 39-24 defeat to Wales, Seruvakula said the team had identified key areas that need improvement.
“We were slow in areas of the match, and we will be working on those areas this week as we prepare for the match against England,” Seruvakula said.
“We need to be smart in the way we deliver our way of rugby and finding a balance heading into the next match.”
Fiji has also been forced into changes after losing experienced backs Semi Radradra and Tim Hoyt to injuries sustained against Wales. Both have been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament.
Virimi Vakatawa has been called in to replace Radradra, while prop Luke Tagi joins the squad to strengthen the forward pack following Hoyt’s injury.
Saturday’s encounter carries added significance as it will be the first international Test match played at Hill Dickinson Stadium, the new home of Everton Football Club. Although Fiji is officially hosting its July Nations Championship fixtures in the United Kingdom, the venue has never staged a rugby union Test before.
England enters the contest ranked sixth in the world, with Fiji sitting ninth in the latest World Rugby rankings.
Following the opening round, Wales leads the Northern Hemisphere standings after defeating Fiji, while South Africa tops the Southern Hemisphere table after a convincing 45-21 victory over England at Ellis Park. Fiji and England are both looking to register their first win of the campaign.
History also favours the English, who have won 10 of the 11 previous meetings between the two nations. However, Fiji will draw confidence from its historic 30-22 victory over England at Twickenham in 2023 — the Flying Fijians’ first-ever win over the English.
Kick-off is at 1:10am Fiji time on Sunday.
Fiji’s July Nations Championship campaign concludes against Scotland at Murrayfield on July 18.
