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Cotter forced to make changes after Fiji loss
By Chris Jones
Fiji head coach Vern Cotter will be forced to make changes for the 2022 Pacific Nations Cup championship match with unbeaten Manu Samoa which rounds off a campaign that started with victory over Tonga but has been hit by a 32-18 loss to Australia A.
Fiji picked up injuries in the defeat by Australia A and Cotter told local media: “We will have to make changes that we can look at tactically, technically and strategically and name the best players to run on to the paddock.
“We were not at our best on the day, the performance from the beginning was not what we expected and then it went worse.
“Mesu Kunavula is out with a hamstring as he came off in the first-half against Australia. Kiti Kamikamica, who came on to replace him, has got an ankle injury, so there are a few things we have to look at before we name a team.
“Teti Tela had a groin injury in the first-half and that is why we took him off early.He had an off-game and you saw that from his last kick in that half. He did not have power in his right leg and probably was one of the reasons why he had a few miscues.”
Samoa have won both games in the PNC but coach Seilala Mapusua is looking for a much better start against Fiji in Lautoka on Saturday.
“We will need to work on how we started,” said Mapusua after the 34-18 win over Tonga that sees them lead the table.“How we came out of the blocks against Tonga is something we will address.
“For a lot of our players, they are not accustomed to play at midday and it is something they will need to get used to. We will review the game against Tonga and start working from there.”
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Latest Comments
It doesn’t say anything, particularly. No10 isn’t the only position in a team and not the sole determiner of who wins or loses.
Go to commentsThe manner of all these comments is that it doesn’t matter who plays No10 for the All Blacks, apparently they are all rubbish!
Seriously, people need to get a grip and stop obsessing over every tiny error made from an overscrutinised position. DMac was good this year for the most part, as was Beauden Barrett. Mo’unga was good last year and would be an asset in the group if he did come back. I don’t see it as an area of concern.
The main concern in 2025 is finding another world class lock and loose forward, followed by some scrutiny over the midfield combination in my view.
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