Fiji win gives Wallaroos 'really good starting point'

A 33-15 win against Fiji may well have been the perfect preparation for the Wallaroos ahead of the 2026 Pacific Four Series.

Last weekend in Canberra interim head coach Sam Needs took charge of his first game. His next will be against 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup runners-up Canada in Sacramento, California.

Against the Fijiana, Needs handed out six debuts to players and enjoyed a dominant second half as Siokapesi Palu, Maya Stewart and Desi Miller all dotted down to put the contest beyond doubt.

Last year the Wallaroos were left bloodied by their two meetings with Canada. The first was a 45-7 loss in Brisbane. The second a chastening 46-5 defeat in a Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final. Avoiding a similar score in the USA would be ideal.

“It’s a really good test going into the Pac Four Series,” Needs told Rugby.com.au. “At the moment, we’ve only had pressure from ourselves when we know what we’re running, so it’s a different type of pressure, so definitely some lessons learned there from Fiji, which is going to set us up well for Pac Four.

“I think we probably got a little bit excited with some of our set pieces at times. There were definitely a few areas to tidy up there. Overall, I think we probably were a bit slow to react to some of the transition stuff.

“I think the pressure they put on us on debut around the offloads and a couple of little snipes they had, I think that’s a really good awareness piece to where we’re at.

“We know Canada’s going to play a real similar game so I think it’s a really good starting point for us to take in there but across the board, a few areas to tighten up.”

After they play Canada the Wallaroos will take on the USA Women’s Eagles in Kansas City, Missouri, six days later and conclude the tournament against New Zealand’s Black Ferns on the Sunshine Coast.

This Pacific Four Series clash will be a stern test for this new-look Wallaroos who expect to have a new head coach by August.

It is also the first games they are playing as the hosts of the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup. That moniker will be attached to them for the better part of four years. Everything is geared towards it.

That is one of the reasons why an 18-point win over Fiji in front of a home crowd is the perfect starting point for a wholly unique World Cup cycle.

“It’s just that long-term goal,” Siokapesi Palu Sekona, the team’s captain, said. “We’ve got six debutants and it means that we’re trying to get some international test matches under their belt early.

“They are our future so if this is what they can produce in their first game, imagine what they can do by the time the World Cup comes.

“We’ve got to give credit to Fiji. Every year they continue to grow, which means our first matches before going to [face] more top tier teams is going to be a real testament to us in terms of our prep and keeping us honest.

“We know those sides and Fiji play a very different game so it’s up to use to see how we adapt and progress through that Pac Four Series.”