The Rooster Chicken Fijiana Drua rugby team now have more chances to improve its international profile. Since its inclusion into the inaugural Super W competition this year, the Fijian side has never failed to surprise the global rugby arena.
The Senirusi Seruvakula-coached Fijiana 15s, after winning the Super W and the Oceania crowns, are now lined up to play the New Zealand Maori women’s team and the Canadian women’s team next month.
The matches are build- ups to the women’s Rugby World Cup in October in New Zealand. Fiji Rugby Union chief executive officer John O’Connor said they were hoping to have the matches played at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva before the national squad departed for New Zealand.
“We hope to have a match with the New Zealand Maori women’s team on September 9,” O’Connor said.
“We are also in talks with the Canadian women’s team to stop over on September 23 to also have a match at the HFC Bank Stadium. I think by that time, coach Seruvakula would already have selected his team to play those two matches before we farewell them for the women’s Rugby World Cup.”
With 60 days left until they face England in their first pool match of the World Cup on Saturday, October 8, at Eden Park in Auckland, O’Connor said the Oceania Women’s Cup champion had been preparing well for the past few weeks.
“The Fijiana players have been preparing well and they were in camp last week.
“I think Seruvakula will travel abroad to see the other rugby competitions and identify a few more talented players.
“They will go through a whole process of preparations and identifying talents before he selects his final team for the women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.”
The Fijiana team is in Pool C with England, South Africa and France.
The 2021 Rugby World Cup is the ninth edition of the women’s Rugby World Cup, as organised by World Rugby.
It is scheduled to be held from October 8 to November 12, 2022, in Auckland and Whangarei, New Zealand.
It was originally scheduled to be held in 2021, but was postponed by one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
