Flying Fijians head coach Mick Byrne has named his strong available 23 players for today’s Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) opener against Samoa at Suva’s HFC Bank Stadium.

“This is the best combination we can select around the Northern and Southern hemisphere players,” he said.

“They’ve been quite impressive in training. We’ve got a couple of injuries that we’ve got to keep an eye on.”

Byrne said he has experienced a modest amount of pressure on to get the job done against Samoa.

The Flying Fijians are the defending PNC champions.

“It’s healthy pressure as that’s how you survive and there’s always a little bit of nerve in the first home game,” he said.

‘It’s not about me or my nerve but it’s about making sure that the team is ready to go.”

New combination

Byrne said he is looking forward to the Fijian Drua duo of centre Iosefo Masi and Selestino Ravutaumada performing on the field after the completion of their Olympic Games sevens programme.

“We also have new combinations of Inia Tabuavou in the centre along with Masi and Caleb Muntz is back fully fit,” he said.

“Vuate Karawalevu will make a run and Apisalome Vota.”

Byrne said they are expecting a torrid challenge from a strong Samoan forward pack.

“We know they are going to come hard and our players like physicality around the forward pack. The battle of the islands is usually a contest by the strong forward packs.”

Byrne said they are also wary of the backline of the Samoan team.

“We got to make sure that we’re in good shape to defend against the hard short ball lines. We got to back ourselves when we play so it’ll be a great contest and it’ll be a great contest as we’re gearing up a physical battle upfront.”

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