VODAFONE Fijiana XV coach Mosese Rauluni has named one debutant in his match-day squad for the first Test match against Japan today.
21-year-old Aviame Veidreyaki is on the match-day 23 and is set to earn her first cap for Fijiana off the bench.
The former Nadi rugby locks is not a stranger to the group as she was part of the Fijian Drua women’s team this season and made her Super W debut against Reds in round one.
“Aviame is on the bench and next week we’ll see what happens. Hopefully she gets a go, gets capped and then we can go from there,” Rauluni stated during the team’s captain’s run yesterday.
Veidreyaki is one of the few new faces introduced into the squad after the Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship as Rauluni wishes to test the depth of his squad in this series.
“Its two test matches at home and against a team that is tiered above us and it is also a good opportunity maybe in the second Test to bring on a lot of new girls and see how they stand. That’s what I thought is really important that we get the Tests and see also what sort of depth we have in Fiji at this level,” the former Flying Fijians scrumhalf added.
Apart from Veidreyaki, Rauluni has maintained majority of his regular starters for this first Test. Key figures in Karalaini Naisewa and Bitila Tawake have been rested. In form centre Vani Arei is in rehab following an ACL surgery and will be out for nine to 11 months.
The match kicks off at 6pm at the HFC Bank Stadium.
