FIJI 62 NIGERIA 4
TOM LAW, Terry Fox Stadium, Brampton, Sunday

FIJI secured the last spot at the 2026 Women’s World Cup in emphatic fashion.

Having nilled Canada in the World Series semi-final on Tuesday, they thrashed Africa’s finest Nigeria with a ruthlessness that will make any opponent stand up and take notice.

The Bulikula join holders and hosts Australia plus England, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Wales in next year’s global event.

It took just eight minutes for winger Maria Paseka to open the scoring, with a well-worked move finding space on the right.

Less than five minutes later Fiji doubled their lead, with speed in the ruck play and a fast moving attack forcing a penalty that they were able to exploit.

Sereana Naitokatoka used a pass against the grain from the resulting position to put Leilani Asham under the sticks, before Cassie Staples was able to score another in quick-fire to extend the lead.

By this stage, Nigeria’s defence was starting to show signs of their international inexperience, with space available for Fiji’s runners to find with some against-the-grain passes and well-worked runs.

Having scored twice against Canada, Tahlia Marshall added to her total for the week by finishing off a series of plays that started in Fiji’s half, with successive breakthroughs leaving Nigeria’s defence unable to scramble in time.

Staples doubled her tally with another move that could have been defended better on Nigeria’s defensive line.

Nigeria at least ensured that they would not suffer the ignominy of being nilled thanks to a crafty kick from Shondelle Akhabue that found winger Success Iyoha in space on the left side.

Despite the scoreline, Nigeria’s players celebrated this try with jubilation and cheers from their players and fans in the stand, bolstered in no small part by the sizeable diaspora population in the Greater Toronto area.

This however proved to be a blimp on an otherwise dominant Fijian display – they started the second half in a strong manner, with Kelilani Manu scoring soon after the restart by plucking a high pass out of the air and powering over the middle.

Another two Staples tries extended the lead, while a brief Nigerian foray that probed Fiji’s defence ended with a surrending of possession through an incorrect play-the-ball – the kind of mistake that can only be rectified through experience playing at this level.

The last few minutes saw Fiji extend their lead with some brute force allowing Naomi Tegu, Ebony Laing and Asham to each crash over in turn.

After being denied the chance of qualification in 2021, Fiji have well and truly earnt the right to play amongst the world’s best.

This will be a marker for their opponents, but also an indication of how far ahead the Pacific region is from the rest of the world, especially in countries where women’s rugby league has only recently begun to take off.

Five of the eight teams in next year’s World Cup will come from the Pacific, and with the NRLW going from strength to strength, this is a gap that is only likely to widen in years to come.

GAMESTAR: Cassie Staples ran the game from fullback, popping up with creative impetus, attacking organisation, defensive solidity when required, and four tries for her efforts.

GAMEBREAKER: Staples’ first try made it 18 points in barely as many minutes for dominant Fiji.

MATCHFACTS
FIJI
5 Cassie Staples (Cronulla Sharks)
11 Tahlia Marshall (Brisbane Tigers)
2 Isabella Waterman (Canberra Raiders)
3 Sienna Laing (Burleigh Bears)
15 Maria Paseka (St George Illawarra Dragons)
9 Sereana Naitokatoka (Canberra Raiders)
7 Luisa Yaranamu (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
8 Leilani Asham (Newcastle Knights)
6 Teaghan Hartigan (Burleigh Bears)
10 Latisha Smythe (Canterbury Bulldogs)
17 Tanika Newton (Ipswich Jets)
12 Elizabeth Naleba (Ipswich Jets)
13 Kelilani Manu (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
Subs (all used)
1 Rory Muller (Parramatta Eels)
4 Joy Levy (Wests Tigers)
14 Ebony Laing (Burleigh Bears)
16 Naomi Tegu (USP Raiders)

Tries: Paseka (8), Asham (13, 76), Staples (16, 30, 48, 56), Marshall (21), Manu (42), Tegu (71), Laing (73)
Goals: Yaranamu 9/11

NIGERIA
1 Blessing Aladeyelu (Lagos Bulls)
2 Success Iyoha (R2 Finesse Academy)
3 Abiola Obazuaye (R2 Finesse Academy)
4 Siobhan Sheerin (unattached)
5 Endurance Ukwuoma (Eko Trinity)
6 Shondell Akhabue (Wentworthville Magpies)
7 Innocent Adaeze (Lagos Bulls)
8 Adeola King (Ottawa Tigers)
9 Becky Okitikpe (R2 Finesse Academy)
10 Fedelia Omoghan (Ontario Ospreys)
11 Rachel Iliya (Eko Trinity)
12 Vera Akhihiero-Pedro (R2 Finesse Academy)
13 Faustina Akeje (Canterbury Bulldogs)
Subs (all used)
14 Chinaza Abbah (Canterbury Bulldogs)
15 Lauretta Bayere (Lagos Bulls)
16 Rukayat Akinade (Lagos Bulls)
17 Danyelle Shobanjo (London Broncos)

Tries: Iyoha (40)
Goals: Akhabue 0/1

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 12-0, 18-0, 24-0, 28-0, 28-4; 34-4, 40-4, 46-4, 52-4, 58-4, 62-4

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Women of the Match
Fiji: Cassie Staples; Nigeria: Success Iyoha

Half-time: 28-4
Referee: Tara Jones