Rugby Union: Fiji gets ready to take on the Rebels

THEY are big, tough, and in Ballarat to give the Melbourne Rebels a hard time tomorrow night.The Fijian national rugby team arrived in town on Wednesday night ahead of their encounter with the Rebels.Yesterday afternoon they completed a solid hour’s training session at St Patrick’s College co-ordinated by the team’s technical adviser Greg Mumm.Like many in the rugby world, they don’t know exactly what to expect from Super Rugby’s newest team.They do know there are some big names, such as Australian Wallabies Adam Freier and Stirling Mortlock, New Zealand All Black Greg Somerville and English fly half Danny Cipriani.The Fijian squad is made up of 28 players, 26 to play over the course of tomorrow night’s trial match.Team manager Semi Rogoyawa said the squad was predominantly made up of players from Fiji’s domestic competition.While the Rebels will use the match as part of their build up towards the start of the Rugby Super 15 competition, Fiji is preparing for the Pacific Rugby Cup with three games in Australia and three in New Zealand in March, followed by the Pacific Nations Cup against Tonga, Samoa and Japan, in Japan in June.Tomorrow night’s trial match at St Patrick’s College starts at 6pm.