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Cotter forced to make changes after Fiji loss

Mesulame Kunavula of Fiji with the ball during the World Rugby Pacific Nations 2022 match between Flying Fian and Austalia A at Churchill Park on July 9, 2022 in Lautoka, Fiji. (Photo by Pita Simpson/Getty Images)

Fiji head coach Vern Cotter will be forced to make changes for the 2022 Pacific Nations Cup championship match with unbeaten Manu Samoa which rounds off a campaign that started with victory over Tonga but has been hit by a 32-18 loss to Australia A.

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Fiji picked up injuries in the defeat by Australia A and Cotter told local media: “We will have to make changes that we can look at tactically, technically and strategically and name the best players to run on to the paddock.

“We were not at our best on the day, the performance from the beginning was not what we expected and then it went worse.

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“Mesu Kunavula is out with a hamstring as he came off in the first-half against Australia. Kiti Kamikamica, who came on to replace him, has got an ankle injury, so there are a few things we have to look at before we name a team.

“Teti Tela had a groin injury in the first-half and that is why we took him off early.He had an off-game and you saw that from his last kick in that half. He did not have power in his right leg and probably was one of the reasons why he had a few miscues.”

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Samoa have won both games in the PNC but coach Seilala Mapusua is looking for a much better start against Fiji in Lautoka on Saturday.

“We will need to work on how we started,” said Mapusua after the 34-18 win over Tonga that sees them lead the table.“How we came out of the blocks against Tonga is something we will address.

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“For a lot of our players, they are not accustomed to play at midday and it is something they will need to get used to. We will review the game against Tonga and start working from there.”

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S
SK 32 minutes ago
What is the future of rugby in 2025?

Set pieces are important and the way teams use them is a great indication of how they play the game. No team is showcasing their revolution more than the Springboks. This year they have mauled less and primarily in the attacking third. Otherwise they have tended to set like they are going to maul and then play around the corner or shove the ball out the back. They arent also hitting the crash ball carrier constantly but instead they are choosing to use their width or a big carrying forward in wider areas. While their maul is varied the scrum is still a blunt instrument winning penalties before the backs have a go. Some teams have chosen to blunt their set piece game for more control. The All Blacks are kicking more penalties and are using their powerful scrum as an attacking tool choosing that set piece as an attacking weapon. Their willingness to maul more and in different positions is also becoming more prominent. The French continue to play conservative rugby off the set piece using their big bruisers frequently. The set piece is used differently by different teams. Different teams play different ways and can be successful regardless. They can win games with little territory and possession or smash teams with plenty of both. The game of rugby is for all types and sizes and thats true in the modern era. I hope that administrators keep it that way and dont go further towards a Rugby League style situation. Some administrators are of the opinion that rugby is too slow and needs to be sped up. Why not rather empower teams to choose how they want to play and create a framework that favours neither size nor agility. That favours neither slow tempo play or rock n roll rugby. Create a game that favour both and challenge teams to execute their plans. If World Rugby can create a game like that then it will be the ultimate winner.

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J
JW 5 hours ago
'Let's not sugarcoat it': Former All Black's urgent call to protect eligibility rules

Yep, no one knows what will happen. Thing is I think (this is me arguing a point here not a random debate with this one) they're better off trialing it now in a controlled environment than waiting to open it up in a knee jerk style reaction to a crumbling organtization and team. They can always stop it again.


The principle idea is that why would players leave just because the door is ajar?


BBBR decides to go but is not good enough to retain the jersey after doing it. NZ no longer need to do what I suggest by paying him to get back upto speed. That is solely a concept of a body that needs to do what I call pick and stick wth players. NZR can't hold onto everyone so they have to choose their BBBRs and if that player comes back from a sabbatical under par it's a priority to get him upto speed as fast as possible because half of his competition has been let go overseas because they can't hold onto them all. Changing eligibility removes that dilemma, if a BBBR isn't playing well you can be assured that someone else is (well the idea is that you can be more assured than if you only selected from domestic players).


So if someone decides they want to go overseas, they better do it with an org than is going to help improve them, otherwise theyre still basically as ineligible as if they would have been scorning a NZ Super side that would have given them the best chance to be an All Black.

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