Fiji Boasts a star studded NRL backline and a forward pack that devastated the Cook Islands last week. The Batis blooded 9 players in the team against the Cooks and Coach Waisake Kativerata says they are not here to make the numbers but to score points.
Fiji Bati captain Tui Kamikamica says to win they need to put pressure on the PNG forwards and use offloads to create scoring opportunities.
Fiji’s backline of Maika Sivo, Mikaele Ravalawa, Sunia Turuva, Waqa Blake and Jahream Bula last week combined a total run meters of 869 meters amongst themselves and a total of 19 tackle breaks.
Considering the Cook Islanders were short of few players down with injury, the Fijians young forward pack managed to out muscle the Cooks up the middle.
In the end Fiji Bati were left with minor bruises while the Cooks were winded by the Fijians.
Fiji Bati were slow to gel as a team, with the coach attributing to the fact that the team was only in camp for a week. But the team did manage to pick up in the second half. It was 6-4 in favor of Cook Islands at half time, but it was Fiji who pulled together in the second half and with five minutes on the clock.
Panthers premiership winning winger Sunia Turuva scored the match winner to snatch the win 22-18.
Fiji Coach Waisake Kativerata said that it’s a privilege to make his coaching debut in PNG where the crowds are mad rugby league supporters. He praised the fans for knowing the players well and he added the support was immense for the Fiji players.
But he knows PNG has a strong support at home and they always lift the team to go above and beyond and that goes for the teams forward pack as well. Kativerata commended PNG for having depth up the middle.
“PNG has a good power play up the middle. If we can control the ruck properly it will be to our advantage. We have a lot of Fijian supporters in PNG. They know Sivo and the other NRL players.
“It’s a young team, and this game will help us a lot we are not here to make up the numbers we can score points to win,” Kativerata said.
It’s no secret that PNG have a strong defense and Captain Tui Kamikamica is no stranger to the Kumuls defense and knows the only way to win is to control the game at the rucks and up the middle.
“We just need to be physical in the ruck, we get a bit of momentum in the middle we can lead to offloads, it’s a learning curve. A lot of young guys playing in the team. We need to learn from our mistakes and to play with PNG we have to be physical,” Kamikamica said.
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