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Vodafone Fiji XV coach Mosese Rauluni has named a debutant in the matchday squad for today’s first Test match against Japan.
Aviame Veidreyaki, 21, is set to make his debut for Fiji after coming off the bench in the 23rd round.
The former Nadi rugby player is no stranger to the team as she was part of the Fiji Drua Women’s team this season and made her Super W debut in round one against the Reds.
“Aviam is on the bench now and we will see what happens next week. Hopefully she can come on, get a chance to play and then we can move on,” said Lawroni during the team captaincy yesterday.
Veidreyaki is one of a handful of new faces to join the squad following the Oceania Women’s Rugby Championship, with Rauluni looking to test the squad’s depth in this series.
“These are two home Tests against a team that is at a higher level than us and the second Test is also a good opportunity for us to send out a lot of new players and see how they perform. I think it is very important to play Tests so that we can also see the quality of Fiji at this level,” added the former Fiji Flyers halfback.
Rauluni has retained most of its regular starters for the first Test match of the tournament, with the exception of Veidreyaki. Key players such as Karalaini Naisewa and Bitila Tawake have been rested. In-form centre Vani Arei is undergoing rehabilitation following anterior cruciate ligament surgery and will be out for nine to 11 months.
The match kicks off at 6 pm at the HFC Bank Stadium.
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