The FIJI Water Flying Fijians will take on Japan in the grand finale of the Pacific Nations Cup champions this weekend.
The encounter scheduled in Osaka will be the two sides’ 18th meeting. In their previous 17 meetings, Fiji won 14.
Fiji booked their place after accounting for the USA 22-3 in their semi-final while Japan secured theirs via a 49-27 victory over Samoa in the other match-up.
Team coach Mick Byrne spoke highly of the caliber of players in the team, expressing his commitment to levelling up the team’s strengths.
“One of the things that I would like to continue is our ability to be patient and stay within our systems, continuing to play our game and improving all the time,” he added. “I’ve never had the opportunity to coach a team with so much talent, and we are going to continue to grow.”
Skipper Tevita Ikanivere had the same to say about his teammates, crediting them for holding the fort when he was sidelined for a yellow card in the win over the US last weekend.
“First of all, it’s not very good for me to get a yellow card. As a captain, I’m not supposed to be leading like that. I’m proud of the boys and how they kept themselves when I was out of the game,” Ikanivere said.
The final will be held at Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Higashiosaka on Saturday, September 21. The day will also feature the third-place play-off between the USA and Samoa, kicking off at 7 pm (Fiji Time) followed by Fiji and Japan clash at 10.05 pm.
