Pacific / Fiji

Sport: Fiji, Tonga end 2017 on winning note

14:18 pm on 27 November 2017

Fiji and Tonga have avoided a whitewash on their November rugby tours to the Northern Hemisphere but Samoa slumped to another defeat to finish winless in 2017.

The Flying Fijians scored nine tries to two in a 57-17 thrashing of Canada in Narbonne, France.

Hooker Ratunaisa Navuma came off the bench to make his test debut while Campese Ma'afu earned his 50th international cap.

Coach John McKee said, after narrow losses against Italy and Ireland, he was pleased to see his side hit their straps.

"In two areas: one our general team cohesion but also it's really important we work around the core elements of the game that we really needed to work on," he said.

"And for us to play our game requires winning quick ball and we did spend time throughout our camps in working on the players' skills in that area, to make us more effective in that area, and it started to pay off against the Canadians."

"We know a lot more about some of our players now and some of the new players around the group, it's good for them to get some test match time," he said.

Olympic seven gold medal winner Semi Kunatani is now a full Flying Fijians international. Photo: AFP

"Someone like Semi Kunatani who [has] a lot of experience in sevens - and one of the Rio gold (medal winning squad) members of course came into the Flying Fijians for the first time so test match experience for him over this series I think has been invaluable.

"He's still got some things to learn about the fifteens game but certainly a talented footballer and players like that coming into our group now I think is really important to us towards 2019."

Fiji wing Nemani Nadolo is tackled during the test against Ireland. Photo: AFP

With less than two years until the World Cup in Japan, John McKee said the Pacific Nations Cup champions still had a lot to work on.

"We've got high ambitions of what we can achieve in 2019 and we certainly know we're not at that level now...but with the talented players we've got and the depth we're now building by 2019 we will be ready," he said.

"But it's a lot of work and a lot of planning goes into it and our players have got to work hard when they're away at their clubs or back in Fiji to make sure that when they come to the Flying Fijians camp they're really ready to fly."

Samoa's Tim Nanai-Williams is tackled by England's Piers Francis. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Tonga ended their tour on a winning note by edging Romania 25-20 in Bucharest.

Samoa were outclassed 48-14 by England at Twickenham to end 2017 with a seventh successive defeat.