November tour

Fiji Rugby Union Chief Executive Officer John O'Connor said after taking into consideration the challenges associated with Covid-19 including travel and quarantine restrictions, they have decided not to select any Southern Hemisphere based players or staff.

"We could have made arrangements for management and players to travel to for the Northern tour but we were not able to guarantee their return with the unavailability of MIQ spots in Australia and New Zealand," he said.

11 new caps featured in Samoa's two wins over Tonga in July, which secured their spot in the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Two third of that squad were based in New Zealand and Australia, because of the travel restrictions imposed by Covid-19.

Lakapi Samoa's General Manager of High Performance, Seumanu Douglas Ngau Chun, said the latest outbreaks in both countries mean they will focus their selections on players already playing in the north.

"Definitely it's a big no for us from New Zealand," he said.