Fiji and PNG to enter WRWC 2017 qualification race

The Fijiana Women’s 15s side and Papua New Guinea will meet in the inaugural Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship in Suva on 5 November with the winner to keep their Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 dreams alive.

The absence of a regional women’s 15s pathway and the need to determine an Oceania team for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 qualification process has led to the introduction of this event.

The 2016 tournament will be contested between host union Fiji and Papua New Guinea, with Australia and New Zealand having already qualified for WRWC 2017 in Ireland by their top-seven ranking from the last edition in 2014.

The Fijiana Women’s 15s side marched into camp this week and have been training alongside the Telecom Fijiana team.

Under the watchful eyes of Iliesa Tanivula and Seremaia Bai, the team have been preparing well in trying to get their fitness up to par for the upcoming match.

“Preparations have been going well so far as both the 15s and 7s girls have managed to bond very well” Bai said.

Between the two coaches, discussions have been based around some of the Telecom Fijiana players joining the 15s team.

“Tani and I have discussed the benefits of some Telecom Fijiana players joining the 15s side, but this will all depend on the availability of the players as they will be playing in the Oceania 7s a week later here in Suva. But the option is there and I am glad that we have reached an agreement on this.”

Bai added that their main aim is to win the match.

“PNG will be a tough team to encounter and we are not going to take them lightly. For now we are concentrating on improving our fitness. We are going into the match with the positive mentality that we are going to win.”

Papua New Guinea are expected to draw on eligible players from Australia to bolster their quest to participate in the Women’s Rugby World Cup. However, Fiji will be difficult to beat at home following the noticeable development of women’s rugby in the country, highlighted by the growing stature of the Telecom Fijiana sevens team.

The winner of this one-off match at ANZ Stadium in Fiji will take their place alongside two Asian teams in the final qualifying event for WRWC 2017 in Hong Kong in December. The top two sides from this tournament will complete the 12-team line-up the World Cup, which runs from 9-26 August.