The Flying Fijians historic 30-22 win over England in their final warm-up match at Twickenham on Sunday has inspired Samoa head coach Seilala Mapusua and his players ahead of next month’s Rugby World Cup in France.
“Seeing Fiji not just beat England but in the manner they did, was really inspiring for all of us Pacific islands,” he told Rugbypass.
“It’s encouraging to see where our teams in the Pacific are heading. It was awesome to see them make history today (yesterday).”
While the Fijians reigned supreme in London, Samoa came close to claiming their own historic win against World Number one Ireland but went down narrowly 17-13 in Bayonne and Mapusua wants his players to be more clinical at the World Cup.
“There’s definitely a lot to take from this match. We’ll take a lot of confidence out of that. A harsh lesson to learn but we’ve got to nail our opportunities when we get them.”
“At the World Cup, we might only get one (chance) in a game, so we’ll definitely take those lessons on board.”
Mapusua’s men will compete in the Pool D campaign against Steve Borthwick’s England side in Lille in October.
