In his latest Postcard from the Pacific, Fiji captain Moses Rauluni talks about the few days off he's been enjoying this week and how he nearly had to swap his rugby shirt for a wet suit in last weekend's Pacific Nations Cup game against New Zealand Maori.

Hi everyone,

I don't know if any of you got the chance to see our game against the Maori last Saturday but we started the match in some of the worst conditions I've ever seen.

There was an absolute monsoon before kick-off and the pitch was saturated. There was standing water all over the place and I could have easily got out the snorkel and swimming trunks it was that bad. It stopped just before kick-off and the groundsman was telling everyone that it would drain away. I'm not sure anyone believed him but by midway through the first half, it was playable and it was a pretty good game.

We could have easily won the match had one of our dopey forwards not knocked the ball on in the closing minutes of the game. We were only four points down so a score then would have got us the victory and it would have been for the first time in 51 years that we'd have beaten them, so there were quite a lot of disappointment around.

The rain caused a few problems before kick-off. Richard Hill and his partner Claire were out in Fiji for the game and they had taken their seats in the warm and dry main stand before kick off only for the roof to blow off 10 minutes before the start! To say the tans drained straight for their faces is a bit of an understatement. I think they ended up watching the game from the announcer's hut.

Some of you may be a bit surprised to hear that the game actually took place bearing in mind the roof had disappeared from the main stand, but this is Fiji. Besides, it didn't blow anywhere near the pitch.

As I said last week, I'm not involved against Japan this weekend. It's important I try to get a bit of rest at some point but also, I'm keen that the coaches look at some other players.

Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying my rugby and want to keep playing for as long as I can, but I'm not going to go on forever so it's important the younger players get some experience and game time.

However, I will be involved for the game against Australia A the following week which is taking place in Brisbane my home town so that works out very well.

I've had a few days off in Fiji just visiting a few spots and that's been pretty relaxing and I'm off to Australia at the weekend to join up with the boys.

Finally, I have to spare a thought for the Saracens guys back home who are starting pre-season on Monday. Enjoy it boys.

But will I be shedding a tear at the thought of all the fitness testing they will be doing? Absolutely not!

Moce Moses

On the opening match of the Pacific Nations against Samoa

In his latest Postcard from the Pacific, Fiji captain and Saracens scrum half Moses Rauluni talks us through his country’s victory in the opening match of the Pacific Nations Cup, the celebrations following that victory and how scoring a try against Samoa prompted an unexpected reaction.

Hi everyone,

I understand the weather was pretty good in the UK over the past few days – I wish the same could be said out here. To put it mildly, it has been very wet! It was dry for the Samoa game at the weekend but very humid so it might as well have been raining as we all left the pitch absolutely soaked to the skin. But it’s been miserable ever since.

But it was a really good performance against Samoa. We had the game won at half time and although we let them back into it in the second half, everyone was still pretty pleased with the result – especially as we lost to them last year. The rivalry between the two countries is pretty fierce so there is always and extra edge to the game so this was a big moment for us.

The crowd was superb, they really responded. It’s the first time we’ve played back in Fiji since the World Cup so it did have that homecoming feel about it and we’re expecting an even bigger crowd this weekend when we face NZ Moari in the capital Suva.

I did score the opening try of the Samoa game and while I will admit it’s not the most difficult of my career (for those who haven’t seen it, we were stopped just short of the line and I picked up from the ruck and dived over) it was certainly very special. It’s the first try I’ve scored for Fiji in nine years so hopefully you can excuse me some good celebrations – although I’ve been getting plenty of stick from the Saracens players for my skipping. I’m not too sure what was going through my head!

I caught up with Cencus after the game and we headed off for a couple of beers and had a good chat. We’ve not had a lot of time off since I’ve been over here so it was nice to just get away from things for a few hours. I think Cencus is even busier than me this summer, not only is he playing in this tournament but he’s also getting married in a few weeks!

The game against the Moaris will be a really good test for us. They are one of the favourites to win the competition but Tonga gave them a good run last week so they are beatable – especially with us having home advantage. I’ll be playing in this game but then will miss out on the trip to Japan the following week. That was always part of the plan to try and make sure that I get some rest over the summer because before I know it, I’ll be back in Hatfield in pre-season training.

I’m heading off to Brisbane next week to meet up with my wife and daughter and see my parents. Luckily, the following week Fiji are playing Australia A in the city so I’ll be around for that match and then fly back to England after that. It’s made for quite a busy summer and there is no doubt that you do have to sacrifice a lot to play for your country, especially if you are outside the bigger nations such as England and New Zealand. But I Iove it and it makes me a very proud man. Besides, there are plenty of players who would rather be playing games than doing fitness tests on the training pitch!

Talking of Australia, we’ve had a Wallaby legend with us in the past few weeks with Glen Ella helping out with the coaching of the backs. It’s been great to work with him and he has some fantastic ideas. Although, as not all of the Fiji squad speaks English it’s not been the easiest for them to communicate – there’s been lots of hand signals and pointing! It’s been quite funny to watch.

Such is the attacking nature of Fiji at the moment that we’ve actually got four wingers in the team! You may have noticed that Kameli played at inside centre against Samoa and for him that’s going back to his roots of where he first started playing as a youngster. But outside him was Sireli Nagelvuki who is a wing with the Stormers in South Africa – it certainly means we’ve got plenty if pace in the backline.

As I mentioned earlier, we’ve barely had any time to get out of training camp. In fact, I’ve been here nearly three weeks and no even been to the capital yet. I’ll be hoping to get some time off soon as I’ve got a lot of close family in Fiji. My parents are based in Brisbane but my Grandmother, cousins and other relatives are still in the island. I’ve not been in Fiji since before the World Cup so they all want a piece of me at the minute so hopefully I’ll get the chance to catch up with them – not only that but it also makes the demand for tickets for the game pretty strong!

Anyway, I’m off to a team meeting now to go through the game plan for the Moari game. Wish us luck.

Moses

PS – Kameli says hello!

Source: Saracens

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