Canada turn focus to Flying Fijians after heavy Japan loss

The Canada men's rugby team will be at their best against the Flying Fijians in Saturday's Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) semi-final in Osaka, Japan.

The Canadians had a run when they lost 12-57 to Ja­pan during their 100th year anniversary celebration, last Saturday.

Canada captain Lucas Rumball said he is hopeful that they are improve against the Flying Fijians.

"I think we wanted to have a good crack at it today (against Japan) and to try new things and to not be afraid to make mistakes," he told Canada Rugby Me­dia.

"We have a lot to look forward to in terms of set piece and detail, but I'm proud of the boys for putting in this effort."

Rumball highlighted that they have a lot to do on the set pieces, on the forward side of the ball.

"Then we need to keep growing and keep being con­fident in the risks we take. I think it pays off when we do that."

The Flying Fijians are the defending PNC champions and interim head coach Senirusi Seruvakula is bring­ing over a new team.

Canada men's head coach Stephen Meehan said their preparations are geared towards next year's Rugby World Cup in Australia.

"We'll keep working on our fundamentals as much as we can. With a few more weeks in Japan-which we're looking forward to, the team will continue to work on all aspects of their play and through to the end of the year to get a better idea of where we're at.

"This is a long programme, and we'll continue to use our time together to identify where we need to be to ensure we're in a good place for Australia next year," Meehan said.

As of now he says, they have turned their focus on the Flying Fijians. The match kicks-off at 7pm (Fiji time).