Mataiasi Stark 
Fans had been calling for Sireli Maqala to start after his electric impact off the bench in last week’s clash with Australia and now he’s set to light up the field from kickoff against Scotland.
The dynamic Top 14 star will partner with powerhouse Josua Tuisova in midfield, a combo Flying Fijians coach Mick Byrne says brings the perfect mix of footwork and force.
It’s a bold switch from last week’s lineup, and one that has supporters buzzing ahead of Saturday’s home Test in Suva.
“I think Sireli is a world-class player, same as Iosefo,” Byrne said, referring to Iosefo Masi, who started at centre last weekend but isn’t in the squad this week. “It’s just an opportunity for us to see Josh and Sireli play together. We’ve got someone with dynamic feet and someone with bulldozing feet — so it’ll be a good mix for us in the midfield.”
Maqala’s footwork and spatial awareness were on full display in Newcastle, and Byrne is confident the full 80 minutes will reveal even more of what the 25-year-old is capable of.
With a pool of world-class midfielders, including Masi and Vilimoni Botitu, Byrne says he welcomes the fan chatter around combinations — and says it’s a good problem to have.
“Everyone’s been talking about our midfield combinations. As we said, we’ve got world-class combinations and we get another chance to have a look at one this weekend.”
Fiji hosts Scotland this Saturday at 3pm at Suva’s HFC Bank Stadium.
It will air LIVE on FBC’s pay-per-view website viti.plus for $30FJD.
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