Fiji rugby

The Fijiana XV overwhelmed Samoa 41-13 in the Oceania qualifying final at the weekend to book their ticket to New Zealand.

Head coach Alifereti Doviverata said qualifying for the World Cup is a "historical moment" that will enhance development for women's rugby in Fiji.

"It means a lot firstly, for the development of women's rugby," said the former Flying Fijians captain.

"I think it has come a long way since its inception in Fiji and the rugby development officers, the CEO and staff have been working tirelessly to get some recognition in women's rugby in Fiji."

The 27-year-old, who switched codes from rugby league in 2017, started all four of Fiji's pool matches at the Rugby World Cup in Japan, wreaking havoc in their tournament opener against Australia and scoring two tries in the win over Georgia.

"There is no doubt that Semi is one of the best players in the world, he's truly a world class performer and we are so excited about what he can do for the team," Bristol Director of Rugby Pat Lam said in a statement.

The 27-year-old Bordeaux flyer has been the subject of much speculation regarding where he will be playing next year following his sensational World Cup campaign in Japan.

Many reports suggested that a return to the NRL, where he first made a name for himself with the Parramatta Eels between 2013 and 2017, was imminent due to homesickness and a disliking to the cold French weather.

Ahead of the opening leg of the new season series, which kicks off in Dubai on December 5, the Fijian boss revealed he wants to see better decision making from his players and limit the number of times they operate one man down during matches due to yellow or red card offences.

So frequently were they sanctioned that they ended the campaign tied with Tonga for the receipt of most cards during the series.

Radradra, who starred for Fiji at the Rugby World Cup in Japan, is homesick in France and wants to return to the NRL, according to The Daily Telegraph.

France's cold weather and family reasons are cited as other reasons for the 27-year-old's willingness to take a major pay cut in order to switch codes once again.

Radradra scored 82 tries in 94 matches for Parramatta between 2013 and 2017, before joining Toulon in 2017.

Last year, he signed for Bordeaux.

It will be remembered, perhaps unfairly, for the loss to Uruguay when the team had been heavily rotated to deal with a short turnaround after their opening loss against Australia. Although another defeat wasn’t in the script, it didn’t have any tangible effect on Fiji’s campaign.

Local media reports the sentencing was handed down in the Lautoka High Court today.

Last month, Justice Daniel Goundar overturned the assessors' unanimous opinion of not guilty and convicted Nasilasila of the rape, which took place in December in Sigatoka.

The judge also said the victim was further subjected to victimisation by rugby fans on social media during the case.

A non-parole period of six years has been set for Nasilasila.

Just four players have been retained from the starting line-up that suffered a shock 30-27 defeat by Uruguay last week, with prop Manasa Saulo joined by captain Dominiko Waqaniburotu, Leone Nakarawa and Semi Radradra, who have started all three games.

"This match against Georgia was always going to be a key match in this pool and nothing has changed," said head coach John McKee.

"There is plenty at stake in this game as a top three finish in our pool means automatic qualification for Rugby World Cup 2023."

The 30-year-old playmaker, who was named in the World Series 'Dream Team' for the third year running, was a key figure as Fiji won titles in Cape Town, Hamilton, Hong Kong, London and Paris to secure the 2018/19 World Series title, their first since 2016.

Tuwai was also nominated for the player of the year award in 2017 and 2018, losing on both occasions to USA flyer Perry Baker, but Samisoni Viriviri is the only Fijian player to win the award back in 2014.

The opening round of the competition also saw Samoa overcome a Tongan side handicapped by two yellow cards 25-17 in Apia.

But it was the result at the new Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium which raised the most eyebrows after Fiji had begun the month with a couple of strong showings against the Maori All Blacks potentially providing a platform to rise up the world rankings.

However it was Japan who took the honours at the ground built in an area previously devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.