Legge Confident as Fijiana XV Gear Up for Wallaroos Clash

Vodafone Fijiana XV Head Coach Mike Legge says the team is ready to deliver a performance that will showcase the distinctive Fijian style of Rugby when the Fijiana take on the Wallaroos tomorrow.

The squad has been in Canberra preparing for Friday’s clash against the Wallaroos, and Legge is pleased with the progress made since arriving on Australian soil.

“All in all, we’ve had a really good preparation since we’ve been here,” Legge said.

“The girls have worked extremely hard as they have done the last six weeks and I think we’re just ready to get out there and play now.”

Legge revealed that while the foundational structures remain from their world Cup campaign last year, fans can expect to see a stronger expression of Fijian rugby identity on the field.

“I think we’re building from our game model from last year. But like I’ve said in the past, we want to really reintegrate our identity in terms of how we play the game,” Legge explained.

“So, we’re going to come out there with a real Fijian mentality. But at the same time, not going away from what worked for us at the World Cup last year. You’ll see a bit of a mixture of both come Friday night.”

With a number of new faces in the squad, Legge has leaned heavily on the leadership of his senior players to unite the group. He singled out co-captains Bitila Tawake and Alfreda Fisher for their contributions since the team arrived in Canberra.

“The coaches have actually been leaning heavily into their experience in and around this group,” Legge said.

“They’ve binded the group together really well, especially with the number of new girls that we’ve got in here. It’s been a real blessing to have the experienced girls here, especially going into my first test as head coach and leaning into that experience. All in all, it’s worked really well.”

The Test against the Wallaroos marks the beginning of a demanding period for the Fijiana, with the Oceania Women’s Series following in April and Super W immediately after. Legge said careful load management has been a focus to ensure the team peaks at the right moments.

“The last five weeks on island, we’ve really trained the girls really hard,” he said.

“So this week here, it’s just been all about our clarity and getting our loading right. We will get stuck into Oceania after that, and then straight after Oceania, we’re straight into Super W. So yeah, we’re managing the load without forsaking performance, if that makes sense.”

The Vodafone Fijiana XV will take on the Wallaroos this Friday at 5:55 PM Fiji Time. Fans can watch the match LIVE on FBC 2.