NEW ZEALAND
England expects Fijiana XV to bring something new
England expects the Fijiana XV to bring something new at the 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand
Red Roses centre Amber Reed made the comment after the Senirusi Seruvakula-coached side was drawn in Pool B with England, France and South Africa, The draw was made by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and three World Cup winners – former Black Ferns captain Farah Palmer, ex-New Zealand flanker Melodie Robinson and All Blacks legend Dan Carter in Auckland yesterday. Reed said: “We’ve gone toe to toe with France over the last few years so that will be a tough match. South Africa and Fiji bring something new and exciting that we haven’t experienced before. There’s a nice mix in the group.”
But Seruvakula said the hard work starts now if they are going to win a game in their pool. Seruvakula said it was just exciting to be grouped with teams who have rich rugby history. “I’m more relaxed now after seeing the pool draws as I know we’ve to put in a lot of hard yards and prepare very well if we are to win any game in our pool,”Seruvakula said.
He added that while Fijiana has not played any of the international teams apart from the Pacific teams, he has a fair idea on their opponents.
“We might be new to the RWC but I’ve been keeping tracks on all the teams which have qualified for the RWC.
“I’ve been watching videos of these teams but now we will narrow down our work and focus on teams in our pool and how they have been playing in the last few years.”
Sereima Leweniqila who was the captain of the Fijiana team which qualified for the RWC said it’s just exciting to see the national team being part of the tournament.
“We are happy that Fijiana has reached this level and now will be making their debut in the RWC.
“All teams are new to us and we need to prepare very hard in-order to survive at RWC,” she said.
England coach Simon Middleton said; “I encountered Fiji a lot during the World Sevens Series and they’re very similar to the men with their offloading game, very physical and will come out of the line in defence. “So we’re going to have a few
challenges that we’ve not had before.”
NZ, OZ in Pool A
Defending champions Black Ferns have been drawn in Pool A with trans-Tasman rivals Australia, Wales and the final qualification tournament winner.
Pool B consists of North American teams Canada and the USA as well as Europe 1 and Asia 1. Black Ferns captain Eloise Blackwell said: “It’s interesting how the pools have come out – we’ve got an Australiasian pool, a North American pool and a European pool.
“Every time we come up against Australia it’s a massive battle.
“In terms of the World Cup we’re not defending it, we’re coming out to win it. That’s the plan for us going forward.”
The tournament will take place from September 18 to October 16.
Matches will be played at Waitakere Stadium, Northland Events Centre and Eden Park.