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All three Pacific Island Test teams are lit this weekend
Things are hotting up for the Pacific Islands teams ten months out from the start of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France as Tonga, who are giving debut caps to ex-All-Blacks Vaea Fifita and George Moala, Samoa and Fiji have all announced eye-catching XVs for their respective Test matches this Saturday against Spain, Italy and Scotland.
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In Malaga, former All Blacks Fifita and Moala will make their Tonga Test debuts after availing of the World Rugby change in the eligibility laws that now allow players the chance to play for the country of their birth following a standdown period.
Fifita could have missed out this weekend due to a mishap last month with Scarlets, his Welsh club, but he is available after successfully coming through tackle school to shave a week off the four-week ban received for his red card when playing in the URC.
The 30-year-old won the last of his eleven New Zealand caps in July 2019, while the Clermont-based Moala – who celebrates his 32nd birthday on matchday on Saturday – was last capped by the Kiwis in 2016. Fifita and Moala are named in an XV that also includes Malakai Fekitoa, another ex-All Blacks player who made the switchover earlier this year when he played against Fiji in July.
There is similar encouragement for Samoa as Jordan Taufua, who also previously played for New Zealand, is again chosen for his Pacific Island team after he twice played for them in July. Saracens’ in-form back-rower The McFarland has been named at blindside for the Samoan game with Italy in Padua.
🤘Las alineaciones para el España – Tonga recién salidas del horno🤘
🔝Jon Zabala comandará a un joven e ilusionante equipo ante los Ikale Tahi.
🇪🇸🇹🇴 Sábado a las 18:30 en Málaga
📺En directo en @MovistarRugby🗞️Todos los detalles: https://t.co/W5wE05cxic pic.twitter.com/IcQXLXwum0
— España Rugby (@ferugby) November 3, 2022
Vern Cotter, meanwhile, is giving a Fiji debut to second row Ratu Leone Rotuisolia, while ex-Fijian 7s and Olympic Games gold medalist Sireli Maqala and Livai Natave are in line to win their first caps off the BT Murrayfield bench. On Maqala, Cotter said: “He has impressed us with his skill sets. He can kick well, with the ball he is strong and tough and he offers us a number of positions as he can play at No10, 15, and at the centre.”
The area of the team taking on the Scots that especially stands out is the Fijiian back row. Albert Tuisue will be at the blindside while Levani Botia, who usually plays at midfield at club level, will start at openside while Viliame Mata returns from injury to start at No8.
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“We need to approach the game with a lot of humility. We are a tier two team playing a tier two team that had a game already in their bag,” continued Cotter. “We are slowly getting together but we want to get learnings from this plus we have the Rugby World Cup next year so it is really important that we put ourselves up against a very good team and I’m sure from we will come away with individual and collective improvements to be made.”
A nivel nombres, el pack de Samoa es mejor que el de Italia.
Tommaso Allan llevará la 15 de su país por primera vez. #ITAvSAM pic.twitter.com/Vwl8iwl6Fh
— Periodismo Rugby (@Perrugby) November 3, 2022
Flying Fijians Team for Edinburgh 🔥
⌚️Sun 6 Nov, 1.00am FJT
🆚 Scotland#duavataveilomanirakavi pic.twitter.com/zsFCidKXEM— Fiji Rugby Union (@fijirugby) November 3, 2022
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments