Fijiana look to finish chances against Spain
Walker said Fiji wanted to play an expansive style of rugby. But he stressed the importance of getting the basics right first.
Saturday 12 September 2026 | 10:30
From Left: Luiza Campos of Brazil, Linde Van den Velde of Netherlands, Fung Hoi Ching Jasmine of Hong Kong, Kolora Lomani of Fiji, Lourdes Alameda of Spain and Michelle Curry of Samoa pose for a photo next to the trophy during the Hong Kong WXV Global series challenger captains photoshoot.
Photo: World Rugby
The Fijiana XV will look to build on their 80-minute performance when they face Spain in the WXV Global Series Challenger in Hong Kong tonight.
Fiji head coach Willie Walker wants his side to improve its finishing and play with greater confidence.
Fiji created several chances in last week’s narrow win over Japan. But Walker said the team must become more clinical.
“We’ve created a number of opportunities, and to be honest, we’ve been disappointed with the ability to finish those chances,” Walker said.
“That’s something that we will be looking to build on throughout this WXV campaign.”
Walker said Fiji wanted to play an expansive style of rugby. But he stressed the importance of getting the basics right first.
“We’ll take a win if we have to grind out a win and get the W at the end of the day, but we want to win well,” he said.
“We want to be able to play that expansive style of rugby, but to be able to do that we’ve got to make sure we tick boxes along the way.
“It’s that step-by-step process.”
Walker has kept Fiji’s game plan simple since taking charge.
His focus has been on the fundamentals. These include the collision, carry and clean, catch and pass, and decision-making.
He was also pleased with the side’s effort against Japan.
“It was really pleasing to see that they played for the full 80 minutes,” Walker said.
“That’s something we will look to continue to build on as we move forward into WXV this weekend.”
Captain Kolora Lomani said Fiji would not rely on its world ranking.
Fiji is ranked 12th. Spain is 14th.
The teams also met at last year’s WXV3 tournament.
Lomani said the players had responded well to Walker’s approach.
“He’s taken us back and taken us step by step again from our skill level, especially our catch and pass, our carry and clean into contact, and both attack and defence,” she said.
The Fijiana have trained well in Hong Kong and expect a tough contest.
“We’ve prepped well for Spain. We’re expecting a good and hard game,” Lomani said.
The match is part of Fiji’s rebuilding phase under Walker.
The Fijiana lost twice to South Africa before beating Japan last week.
They also finished the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup on a high by beating Wales in Exeter.
Earlier this year, Fiji won its second consecutive Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship.
Fijiana fixtures
Sunday, September 13, 4pm: Fiji v Spain
Saturday, September 19, 7:30pm: Fiji v Hong Kong
Saturday, September 26, 4pm: Fiji v Netherlands
