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Fiji boss Vern Cotter's message after shock loss to Samoa

Head Coach Vern Cotter of Fiji looks on prior to the International Test Match between the New Zealand All Blacks and Fiji at Forsyth Barr Stadium on July 10, 2021 in Dunedin, New Zealand. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)

Head coach Vern Cotter has told his Fijian players to take their narrow 20-23 loss to Samoa “on the chin” and use the pain of the defeat to make the team tougher to beat at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

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Fiji had the chance to kick a last gasp penalty and draw the match but opted for a line out and lost the ball which saw unbeaten Samoa claim the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup title.

Cotter believes the decision to try and win the game replicated the kind of critical decision the players will face at the World Cup where they are in Pool with Wales, Australia, Georgia and the final qualifier which could be USA.

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Cotter told local media: “That is a point in these players’ career where they can say what we need to do. Maybe we have a line-out with five minutes to go in the RWC and we will nail it. However, these experiences are not nice and you learn from these experiences which is the key.

“So this for me is a picture of where we are at. It is a clear example of where we are at. Samoa deserved their win. I think we could have won but this is where we are at. The important thing is that we sort things out. We did nearly everything right in the first half and took a lead of 17-3. I thought we would have come even stronger in the second half but then we slipped.

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“Samoa scored first in the second half and then probably took the control of the game whereas we kept on making simple errors. The game against Tonga (36-0)we had a bit going for us. Then we gave the game to Australia A (18-32) and the second 40 minutes to Samoa. So the most important thing to be honest is knowing where we are at and where we need to be in November.

“I know everybody is disappointed. We all want to win and do better. But let’s take it on the chin and work on from here. That will be the discussions that we will be having with everybody. It is like we win together and lose together.”

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Manu Samoa captain Michael Alaalatoa praised his players saying: “It took us 80 minutes to get there, we know that the Fijians are world-class and they showed that in the first half.

“They put a lot of pressure on our set piece especially, and especially at scrum time but I’m so proud of our boys to hang deep. In the past, we would have lost those games but we are starting to build a winning culture.”

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1 Comment
a
azam 890 days ago

Fiji'problems lie in the tantalising handling of the ball at crucial moments and especially knockons

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SK 1 hour 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 6 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.

147 Go to comments
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