The Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship returns for its fourth edition this week after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
Traditionally held in Fiji, the 2022 edition has moved to Auckland, New Zealand, and will feature two-time champions Fiji, alongside Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga.
The tournament will be the first time that Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga will play since the World Cup qualifiers in 2020 and will also provide Fiji with valuable preparation ahead of the Rugby World Cup in October.
Along with Papua New Guinea, the Fijiana are the only teams to have contested all three Oceania titles, winning the one-off match against PNG in 2016, going undefeated in 2018 and finishing third in 2019 behind the Black Ferns Development XV and Australia A.
Fiji has a perfect record against Papua New Guinea and Tonga and has won three of their five meetings against Samoa, including defeating the Manusina 41-13 at the 2019 championship to qualify for their first World Cup.
The team is led by Fijiana Drua captain Bitila Tawake, who led the Drua to an undefeated Super W season in 2022. The squad features 11 players from the championship-winning Drua including the Player of the Final, Vitalina Naikore, who scored a hat-trick in the decider.
Raijieli Laqeretabua, the Fijiana vice-captain, was born in Tailevu but moved to England at age one with her parents. Playing in the English Premier 15s since 2017, she was runner-up in 2021 with Saracens, winning the title in 2022 before joining the Drua for their championship run.
There is plenty of experience in the team, but all eyes will be on former USA Eagles representative Asinate Serevi, the daughter of Fiji legend Waisale Serevi. Last playing for the United States in July 2019, Asinate will become eligible to switch allegiance to Fiji at the Oceania Championships after serving her three-year international break.
Fiji will be the team to beat again this year, especially as their coach, Senirusi Seruvakula, has always found a way to win. Leading the Fiji Drua to Australia’s NRC title in 2018 before taking the Fijiana Drua to Super W glory in April this year, Seruvakula will be looking to add another trophy to the collection.
The Cassowaries will be making their fourth appearance at the Oceania Championships in 2022 and will be looking to secure their first victory in an international test.
Despite losing all six previous encounters against Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga, they have put in strong performances in the past including scoring 45 points against Manusina in their 11-point loss at the 2018 Oceania Championship, and a 12-point loss to Tonga’s Fuifuilupe in their last outing.
Though losing to Tonga, the match was a historic one with the fixture played at Bava Park in Port Moresby. The 2022 squad features eight of those players including captain Juliane Yallon and Melissa Maino, who scored a double.
Front rower Jane Baku brings a wealth of experience, having played with the Cassowaries since their first test against Fiji at the 2016 Oceania Championship. Lock Clara Biyama and backrower Isi Govea also featured in that first test, with Govea adding her sevens experience having played with the Palais at the Sydney World Series leg in 2017.
The squad also features a few converts, with Naomi Alapi winning rugby sevens bronze at the 2015 Pacific Games and Maino winning gold in Va’a canoeing at the same Games. However, Nadia Tabuso joins the Cassowaries from touch having played at two World Cups and won multiple Pacific Games gold medals.
The Manusina was long considered the third-best team in Oceania, having played at three World Cups (2002, 2006, 2014) but have struggled against Fiji recently winning only one of their four encounters since the 2018 Oceania Championships.
That single victory came in 2019 at the Asia Pacific Championship where they narrowly beat Fijiana 15-12 in Lautoka. Later that year at the Oceania Championship, they lost twice to Fiji, including the World Cup qualifier 41-13.
Samoa defeated Tonga 40-0 in the repechage qualifier held in Auckland in April 2020 but was unable to attend the World Cup Repechage tournament due to COVID-19.
Though naming 20 debutants to their squad for this year’s Oceania Championship, Manusina are not short on experience and will rely on stalwarts like Bernadette Robertson, the only Samoan to compete at a World Cup (2014).
Four players included also have international sevens experience, suiting up at the 2021 Olympic Repechage Tournament in June 2021. Saelua Leaula, who captained the team in Monaco, played for Manusina at the 2018 Oceania Championship, before competing at the 2019 Touch World Cup in Malaysia.
Rugby league converts Sailiai Pau, and Cassie Siataga joins the team after winning the 2021 NZRL Women’s Premiership title with Canterbury. Pau scored a hat-trick in the final against Wellington. Two players of interest are Ti Tauasosi and Penina Tuilaepa, who both have international experience, but not for Samoa. Tauasosi played 15s and 7s for Singapore, playing professionally in Singapore, Japan, England, Spain, France, and New Zealand, while Tuilaepa played U20s for the United States and graduated in 2021 from Lindenwood University after three consecutive Division 1 national titles.
The Fuifuilupe will be making their second appearance at the Oceania Championship after a measles outbreak in Tonga caused them to withdraw in 2019.
As a result, the team has only played five test matches since 2018, winning two matches against Papua New Guinea and losses to Fiji and Samoa (twice).
Tonga played two matches in early 2020 in hopes of qualifying for the World Cup, defeating PNG in Port Moresby (36-24) before a heavy defeat to Samoa in Auckland a month later (40-0).
Despite limited international experience, Tonga will be bolstered by the inclusion of former Black Fern Mele Hufanga.
Numerous players are members of Farah Palmer Cup provincial squads, including Sisifa who after sevens seasons with Otago, joined Canterbury in 2019 to win back-to-back titles. Hufanaga, who also played with the Blues in this year’s inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki season, holds the Farah Palmer Cup record for most tries in a season (16).
After playing at the 2018 Oceania Championship, Seli Mailangi has plied her trade in rugby league. The niece of Manly legend John Hopoate, Mailangi played with South Sydney during the 2021 NSWRL Women’s Premiership and was named Souths Player of the Year after averaging 83m and 25+ tackles per game.
Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship
Saturday 9 July 2022
Samoa v Tonga: Massey Park, Papakura – Kick-off 1pm
Fiji v Papua New Guinea: Massey Park, Papakura – Kick-off 3:30pm
Wednesday 13 July 2022
Samoa v Papua New Guinea: Navigation Stadium, Pukekohe – Kick-off 5pm
Fiji v Tonga: Navigation Stadium, Pukekohe – Kick-off 7pm
Sunday 17 July 2022
Tonga v Papua New Guinea: Massey Park, Papakura – Kick-off 1pm
Fiji v Samoa: Massey Park, Papakura – Kick-off 3:30pm
*All times local
All matches will be live on Sky Sports (NZ), Stan Sports (Australia) and Digicel (Pacific Islands).
