Ioan Cunningham believes his team’s skill set will counter their strong opponents in the Oceania Rugby Women’s Challenge. The Vodafone Fijiana XV head coach is looking forward to a great outing when they take on Manusina XV and Lofa XV on June 6 and 14, respectively at the Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka. “We have got unbelievably talented athletes that have a very good skill set. The opposition Tonga and Samoa are similar, physical, strong, well-coached teams that are passionate,” Cunningham said. He added it was important that they get their basics done well enough in their game. “The catch, pass, and tackling will allow the rest of our game to flow.” With 90 per cent of Drua women players are in the squad, Cunningham said it would bring cohesion as the players know each other very well. “We must understand that we all are representing Fijiana. We got a separation from the Drua type to the Fijiana type.” Cunningham commended the leadership of their new young captain Alfreda Fisher and Asinate Serevi. “It is always great to have a balance of young, fresh talent, but also some experienced players. Serevi (Asinate) is experienced, and this is vital for us, not just a lot in the field but also just in the environment as well. “How she speaks to the younger players, their behaviour and standards that we expect, they bring a good mix to us as a group. “Fisher is a great young leader who has grown in stature over the last few weeks. “I am proud that she is part of our group. She will grow again over the next two weeks, learning how to be her true self as a leader and what super strengths she has, both on her rugby display on field but also in her communication. “She is growing every day and every week.” The former Welsh coach is calling for support to rally behind the Fijiana XVs. “We really looking forward to the next couple of weeks against tough opposition, Tonga and Samoa, and we just love to get our supporters and fans out to watch our incredible female athletes that we have got in Fiji,” he added. Feedback: mereleki.nai@fijisun.com.fj