The Vodafone Fijian Under-20 squad looks forward to a tough match up in their first game against New Zealand in the Oceania Under-20 Championships in Australia today.

Fijian captain Temo Mayanavanua said it was a great opportunity for the boys to see how they match up against tier one nations.

“We know New Zealand is one of the champions side in terms of rugby and the boys are really excited and at the same time really hyped up about the first match,” Mayanavanua said.

“We have been preparing for the last three months, it has not been easy, and the boys have done the hard yards.

“This is an opportunity for us to match up our individual skills against nations such as New Zealand, Australia… who are tier one nations.

“We are an island that is full of raw talent so it is really hard to select the final 26 but I am really glad and really honoured that the management have picked the right boys to represent the country.”

The Oceania Championships will be a good preparation platform for the Junior World Trophy which will be held in August in Uruguay, said Mayanavanua.

“This is a really good opportunity to see where we are and whether we can match up with other nations,” he said.

“It will not be easy but we are thankful for this competition which will give us an idea on what we need to do in order to put up a good performance in August.”

Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Luke Jacobson said they were expecting a really physical match against Fiji.

“Going up against Fiji first will be a good tester for us because we know they will be coming out pretty physical,” Jacobson said.

“We will just try to nail down our recovery and try to hit that four day turn around.”

Fiji take on New Zealand today at 7pm.

Edited by Paula Tuvuki

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