Mataiasi Stark 
The Flying Fijians came from behind to defeat Samoa 29-15 in Rotorua, sealing their place at the top of their Pacific Nations Cup pool and in the process confirming Tonga’s qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Samoa made the brighter start, with Peter Ah-Sue crossing in just the third minute before Rodney Iona slotted a penalty to stretch their lead to 8-0.
Fiji hit back through captain Tevita Ikanivere in the 12th minute, but Samoa regained momentum when Joel Lam touched down six minutes later.
Setareki Tamanivalu’s try before halftime narrowed the gap, with Samoa taking a 15-12 advantage into the break.
The second half belonged to Fiji, as halfback Simione Kuruvoli darted over in the 59th minute, before Caleb Muntz converted a penalty in the 64th minute.
Kalaveti Ravouvou dived over in the 79th minute to give the Flying Fijians the cushion they needed to hold on for victory.
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