Key events
TRY! Desiree Miller goes in again! (Australia 12-5 Fijiana)
Great shift from the home side and again Miller has the aspeed, the swertve and the smarts to elude the defence. Another try in the corner and this time Arabella McKenzie converts. Wallaroos are in front and looking good.
17th minute: TRY! Desiree Miller scores in the corner (Fijiana 5-5 Australia)
The Wallaroos hit back! Biola Dawa has a run then hangs on in heavy traffic down the right. Now Australia go coast-to-coast, moving at speed to the left and fast passes and a couple of fumbles finally find Desiree Miller in the clear. She swerves one, palms another and scores in the corner! Good hit back by the Wallaroos
TRY! Adita Milinia scores (Fijiana 5-0 Australia)
That was too easy for Fijiana. The gold lineout melted like butter and the blind side overflap put Milinia over in the corner for today’s first score. Kick falls short.
12 minutes: Fijiana are in Australian territory for the first time in the Test match. Tania Naden will throw from the 30-metre mark and Piper Duck carries it into the teeth of the white jerseys again. Bang! Outside centre Atelaite Buna has just crunched Lori Cramer. What a tackle! Ball lost forward by Australia and Fiji will mount a new raid from a lineout 40m out.
1oth minute: Australia with all the ball and all the momentum. But so far each attacking burst has been snuffed by stout goal line defence. We’ll have a scrum metres out but first there’s some running repairs on Fijiana forward Nunia Daunimoala. Finally we get the feed and Fijiana clear but again McKenzie’s pass to Cramer isn’t in sync and the ball is lost forward
Eight minutes: McKenzie found fullback Lori Cramer on the charge but the raid came to bnothing as a bootlaces tackle brings her down. The Wallaroos head right but thgerfe’s no way through so Layne Morgan brings it back to the right. But there’s panic in the air and the final pass goes behind Desiree Miller and over the sideline.
Six minutes: Fijiana get themselves out of the red zone with a smart kick that clears debutante Biola Dawa. But Australia have stolen the lineout and spun it wide. It goes to ground but Fijiana have infringed at the ruck. McKenzie spurns the three to chase five. Australia on the attack again, just seven metres out.
4th minute: Good phase play from the Wallaroos but Leilani Nathan’s attempt to scoot down the blindside is brought to a quick end by a fierce tackle from Atelaite Buna. Australia retain possession though and go right. They win a frree kick and opt for the lineout five metres from Fijiana line. But the throw is a stray one and the visitors take back possession. Bright start from the Wallaroos. Big scrum coming up, Fijiana to feed.
1st minute: Fijiana Asinate Serevi takes the kickoff cleanly and the women in white kick it straight back. Piper Duck, in her distinctive pink headgear, fields the worm burner and has a run. Australia on the attack and nearing the Fijiana 22…
Rousing stuff by the choirs. Now it’s time for the players to make some sweet music… Australia to kickoff to the Paddington end
Teams have taken the field, fands are trickling into their seats and the big gold flag is centre stage. Time for the anthems. First up it will be God Bless Fiji by the 28-strong Canterbury Church Choir
Just had word the Allianz gates are opening now and fans are finally entering. Right in the nick of time too as we have the flagbearers and choirs massing in the middle…
Strange scenes at the SFS. We are supposedly seven minutes from kickoff but there is not a soul in the stadium beyond the players warming up on the field, the coaching staff on the sidelines and the fourth estate in the press box. There’s rumbling of an alarm that’s gone off and prevented people entering the ground. Might be a delay here, folks.
Jo Yapp played 70 Tests for her native England but the Red Roses legend’s reign as Australian coach is off to a rocky start…
Running a sharper eye over those team sheets you’ll see Wagga Reddie junior Biola Dawa on the wing in place of Maya Stewart who tweaked a hamstring this week.
Waratahs lock Kaitlan Leaney returns in the second row, the lone change to the starting pack from the Pacific Four toujrnament. It shifts Atasi Lafai to blindside flanker, with Siokapesi Palu on the bench alongside debutants Allana Sikimeti and Lydia Kavoa.
Layne Morgan starts at halfback with Nat Wright in line to debut as her deputy. Morgan’s Waratahs halves partner Arabella McKenzie runs out at No 10. Experienced fullback Lori Cramer is also back, having missed the Test against New Zealand.
Here are the WALLAROOS (15-1): Lori Cramer, Biola Dawa, Georgina Friedrichs, Cecilia Smith, Desiree Miller, Arabella McKenzie, Layne Morgan, Piper Duck, Leilani Nathan, Atasi Lafai, Michaela Leonard (c), Kaitlan Leaney, Eva Karpani, Tania Naden, Brianna Hoy
Replacements: Tiarna Molloy, Allana Sikimeti, Bridie O’Gorman, Siokapesi Palu, Lydia Kavoa, Natalie Wright, Trilleen Pomare, Faitala Moleka
FIJIANA (15-1): Luisa Tisolo, Merewairita Neivosa, Atelaite Buna, Liti Lawedrau, Adita Millinia, Jeniffer Ravutia, Evivi Senikarivi, Kara Naisewa, Sulita Waisega, Nunia Daunimoala, Asinate Serevi, Mereoni Nakesa, Tiana Robakadavu, Keleni Marawa, Bitila Tawake
Replacements: Litia Marama, Loraini Senivutu, Vika Mararugu, Doreen Narokete, Ema Adivitaloga, Setaita Railumu, Salanieta Kinita, Repeka Tove
Preamble
Hello rugby lovers and welcome to Gadigal land for the women’s rugby Test between Australia and Fijiana at the Sydney Football Stadium.
After a wet week, we have blue but cloudy skies for today’s game and no rain forecast. It means hopes are high for a fast and entertaining game in this first instalment of today’s Test rugby festivities, with the Wallabies to take on Wales immediately after.
History is on the home team’s side – there have been two Tests between these nations and Australia has won both, including last year’s encounter, a 22-5 triumph in Sydney.
After a winless Pacific Four Series, the Wallaroos are desperate for their first win of the season and their maiden victory under new coach Jo Yapp. However, form is on the side of the visitors, with Fijiana coming off a stirring 24-15 win over Japan in Lautoka.
While Fijiana will field a team studded with stars from the Super W decider, Yapp is still searching for combinations. The Englishwoman has named four debutants today, with Brumbies flyer Biola Dawa the most keenly awaited rookie in the starting side.
Dawa has plenty of experience behind her with Arabella McKenzie and Eva Karpani set to play their 25th games in gold and captain Michaela Leonard, the pride of the Tuggeranong Vikings, her 26th.
“It’s been nice to be back in Sydney and the players are working hard to put in a good performance against Fiji on Saturday,” Yapp told us earlier in the week. “Our team has been building well and we are looking forward to seeing how they go.”
Us too, Jo. Stay tuned for the team sheets and official preliminaries. Kick-off is 4.45pm AEST in Sydney.
