Fijian Warriors head coach Senirusi Seruvakula says they are expecting a strong and physical game when they take on Japan in their opening match of the World Rugby Pacific Challenge in Apia, Samoa next month.
The Warriors will play the defending champions on May 3 before taking on Tonga and the hosts in the four-team round-robin competition.
The tournament returns for the first time since 2020 because of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Seruvakula said playing against the champion Japan side in their first match was an advantage for the Warriors because they would be able to gauge themselves against the best early in the competition.
“This will allow us to look at ourselves, at gauging our strengths and weaknesses, having played against the champions in our first game,” Seruvakula said.
The Warriors, which is mostly made up of players from the Fiji Rugby high-performance unit and the Fiji under-20 side, has been training for the past three weeks under the guidance of Seruvakula and former Flying Fijians and Fiji 7s rep Sireli Naqelevuki.
Eight players from the travelling 28-member squad played for the Fijian Warriors last year.
Seruvakula said they had been trying to get to know the players better, many of whom are new to the squad. He says he was happy with the attitude and the discipline each player brought to the team.
“We have selected most of the players who have been in the high-performance system and have performed up to the expectation during provincial games last season,” he said.
Draws (kick-off times to be confirmed) Wednesday, May 3: Junior Japan v Fiji Warriors, Manuma Samoa v Tonga A; Monday, May 8 – Tonga A v Junior Japan, Manuma Samoa v Fiji Warriors; Saturday, May 13 – Fiji Warriors v Tonga A, Manuma Samoa v Junior Japan
