Arch foes Fiji and Samoa will go head-to-head in the final round of the Pacific Nations Cup on Saturday the 10th of August.
Pacific Nations rivalry will be at an all-time high this weekend with neighbours Fiji and Samoa set to do battle in the final round of the tournament. Both sides have endured hits and miss campaigns and head into this one having an identical record of one win and one loss from their previous two outings.
Fiji v Samoa
Saturday 10 August
ANZ Stadium
09:15
To Win (80 Mins)
Fiji 1/7
Draw 28/1
Samoa 47/10
Fiji
It’s been a rather disappointing campaign from this very experienced Fijian side who opened their tournament up with a 21-34 defeat to Japan. They managed to bounce back from their first-round loss with a win as they saw off Canada 38-17 out in Suva last Saturday.
The Fijians have failed to really assert themselves in their previous two matches with their much-famed offloads game not really working. This will be extremely disappointing for the coaching staff as their players looked rather good during last month’s drawn series with the Maori All Blacks where passes were sticking and some great tries were being scored.
Samoa
Like their island neighbours, the Samoans have also been extremely hit and miss. Their hard-fought 17-25 victory over Tonga was mildly impressive but then they slumped to a 13-10 defeat to the United States in the following round.
While the Samoans are not as renowned for their attacking skills as the Fijians are, it must be noted that they have been rather blunt on attack with their midfield runners struggling to open up holes in the centre of the park.
Verdict: Fiji 1/7
There were signs that they were starting to find their rhythm last weekend. If those offloads start to stick then the Fijians may just run riot here. My money is on the hosts winning it by between 8eightand 14 points.
