NRL Pacific Championships: Fiji men, Tongan women go head-to-head in opposed training session

As they prepare for a brutal Pacific Championship clash against PNG, Fiji have taken the extraordinary step of running an unconventional opposed session against the Tongan women’s side.

A powerful Pacific rugby league nation has taken the extraordinary step of preparing for a full-blown Test match by running an unconventional opposed session against women.

Fiji Bati was training at Albert Park in Suva on Tuesday with the Tongan women’s side practising on an adjacent field.

Bati stars who took on the women included Viliame Kikau, Sunia Turuva, Maika Sivo, Waqa Blake, Tui Kamikamica, Semi Valemei, Kevin Naiqama and Taane Milne.

“It’s obviously a bit weird but it was really good,” Kikau said. “The Tongan coach was telling us to go hard, tackle and get some time on the ground.

“They were really good talkers and were loud the whole session. They helped us a little bit and hopefully we helped them in their preparation for this weekend.”

A Tongan official marched across and asked for an opposed session with the men – and Fiji officials agreed.

Fiji Bati and Tonga women are having an opposed session ahead of Pacific Championships fixtures on Saturday https://t.co/syJ48pgcD0

— International RL (@IntRL) October 14, 2024

It is without doubt the most unique preparation for a Test match in rugby league history.

The head-to-head scrimmage training went for nearly 40 minutes with onlookers surprised at the competitive collisions.

“It was really amazing for the men to let us have an opposed session against them,” said Tonga co-captain Natasha Penitani, who plays NRLW for Wests Tigers.

“To get that physicality and to give us the opportunity to really structure the way we play, and even to defend against them, it was really nice of them to do that for us.

“It was a great experience. We kind of got thrown into the deep, and it was a huge adjustment. It doesn’t help when they’re twice our size, but it all goes towards the preparation, and I feel as though it did us well.

“There’s no mercy, no surrender here. You could tell that they started off a little bit cautious, and then Kelvin was kind of telling them to rip in, so they really did.”

Fiji training against the Tongan women's team. Picture: Fiji Village

One Fijian player came off with what appeared to be a rib injury.

Fiji is preparing for Saturday night’s Pacific Championships Test against PNG in Suva with the Tongan women to confront Samoa in a preliminary game.

Senior NRL journalist Brad Walter was standing sideline for the remarkable match-up.

“It was certainly competitive and both teams were trying to get something out of it for their preparations,” Walter said.

“There was a lot of excitement from Fiji media who were there watching given it’s such a unique situation for men and women to play against each other.”

Fiji players admitted it was ‘weird’ but a really good experience to train against women. Picture: Fiji Village

The Tongan women’s side is coached by Kelvin Wright, a New Zealander who previously coached the Broncos NRLW side.

Kikau is anticipating a torrid game against the Kumuls.

“We really want to focus on this big game. PNG is a physical team and they come hard at you from the first minute until the end,” he said.

“It feels like a ton of bricks running at you for the whole 80 minutes. I always put my hand up to represent my country.”

The Tonga-Samoa women’s game will double as a World Cup qualifier. Some from Tongan women’s side are based in either Australia or New Zealand.