Fiji under 20 players training in Taupō ahead of their match against the Hurricanes under 20. Photo: Supplied/Fiji Rugby Union
The Fiji Under-20 rugby team got a taste of what they can expect on the world stage, as they were humbled by the Hurricanes 65-10 in a Super Rugby Under-20 Tournament in Taupō on Saturday morning.
Head coach Senirusi Seruvakula had predicted the tournament would be a tough one for his young players, most of whom are 19 or 18 years old.
Their enthusiasm showed in flashes during the 80 minutes encounter, but their basic mistakes will certainly be an area that Seruvakula and his coaching team will be urgently looking at in the next few days.
Seruvakula had told the media on Friday he knew the competition would be tougher than any the players had faced in the past, especially since majority of the team members were on their first trip outside of Fiji.
Majority of the players have been selected out of the Fiji Secondary Schools Rugby Deans Trophy competition for Under-18s.
Pacific countries will be fighting to win places in the World Rugby Under-20s Trophy Challenge. Photo: Supplied/Fiji Rugby Union
Some were selected from Australia and New Zealand, with the focus on the upcoming Oceania Championship, where the Pacific countries will be fighting to win places in the World Rugby Under-20s Trophy Challenge.
"It's a different ball game altogether playing in the Deans competition and there's not more than five that are playing in the last Super Rugby competition," Seruvakula told the media.
"It's a big opportunity, big learning and we'll gain a lot of experience from it before we come back and prepare for the Oceania."
He said the message to the players was to get out on the field and enjoy themselves.
The Super Rugby competition is a major step up, and Seruvakula believed it would be a valuable experience for his squad.
The Hurricanes controlled the set-pieces in the game and had too much power and variation along the backline.
Fiji under 20 players training in Taupō ahead of their match against the Hurricanes under 20. Photo: Supplied/Fiji Rugby Union
Hurricanes Captain Mosese Bason said they just stuck to their game plan and worked on winning their set-pieces, before giving their backline the chance to run with the ball.
"We focused on out set-pieces all week," he said after the game.
The Hurricanes were almost scoring at will late in the first 40 and into the second half, while their opponents lost scoring opportunities when they lost control of the ball in contacts.
The Fijians responded with two tries in the match, one each to co-captains Anare Tabakaucoro and Sam Chapman in the second half.
The win means the Hurricanes will advance into the semi-finals on Wednesday, while the Fijians will drop to the play-offs for the fifth to eighth positions.
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