MICHELLA’E Stolz has defended the open letter she penned for her Fiji teammates following their tough 65-7 loss to Canada in the opening round of the Rugby World Cup.
At just 18 years old, Stolz is one of the youngest members of the Fijiana squad, yet her heartfelt message on social media struck a chord with the team. The letter was written after seeing her teammates’ disappointment with their performance in York.
“I didn’t see losers. I saw warriors. I saw fighters,” she wrote.
“I see people who refuse to give up, and that makes me proud in a way no words can fully explain.
“So, lift your heads. This is not the end of our story, it’s only the beginning.”
The post also came as a response to criticism the Fijiana received after their heavy defeat to the world’s second-best team.
Despite showing flashes of their trademark flair, Fiji struggled to contain Canada’s power and precision.
Speaking to Sports Beat ahead of their second pool match against Scotland, the utility back said her intention was simple: to encourage.
“I felt like we just needed a word of encouragement with everything going on around us.
“I just wanted to let them know that the results don’t define our team. Sometimes you just need to hear that encouragement from people and I just wanted to give that to my team and let them know how proud I am of them and how proud I feel to be a part of the team,” Stolz said.
Her words had a powerful impact. Fijiana forward Bitila Tawake admitted that Stolz’s message helped the players move on from the loss.
“Most of the girls were tearing up when she was sharing her piece on Sunday morning, and it hit the right spot.
“It was an emotional morning for most of us, so I think hearing that from Michella’e Stolz made us more unified and taking the learnings from the last game,” Tawake said.
Fiji now turns their focus to their second match in Salford against Scotland before facing Wales in Exeter.
Despite the challenges ahead, the camp remained optimistic.
Speaking to Sports Beat head coach Ioan Cunningham said the team is ready to show their resilience.
“From the outside, potentially people would look at it on paper as Fijiana are the underdogs.
“We trust our process, our system and we trust each other to go and deliver a performance that will make us proud and put on a performance that can challenge the best in the world,” Cunningham said.
“We showed at times against Canada that we can really mix it with the best. That’s really encouraging, and we take massive confidence from that this weekend.”
The Fiji and the number eight ranked-Scotland match will kick off on Sunday at 1:45am.
Scotland head coach Bryan Easson has stressed the importance of the clash, saying his side is fully focused and prepared.
With more than 400,000 tickets already sold, and prices starting at just £5 for children and £10 for adults, fans are encouraged to secure their tickets now via tickets.rugbyworldcup.com