Cotter forced to make changes after Fiji loss

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.

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.”

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.

“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.”