Whangārei mayor Vince Cocurullo (left), Fijiana coaches Greg Smith and Asaeli Tikoirotuma with Women's Rugby World Cup volunteer Paulina Stolz. Photo / Supplied
Whangārei mayor Vince Cocurullo (left), Fijiana coaches Greg Smith and Asaeli Tikoirotuma with Women's Rugby World Cup volunteer Paulina Stolz. Photo / Supplied
Fijiana players and their management team bid farewell to Whangārei for the last time - but not before pulling on their 'Whangārei Love It Here' T-shirts, grateful for the local hospitality.
The first-timers to the Women's Rugby World Cup are unfazed by the fact they didn't qualify for the quarter-finalsthis weekend, given it was their first experience playing in a global tournament.
But they were particularly humbled by the support they received from the local Fijian community, the presence of Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere at lunch, and the handing over of the jerseys to the players before their last pool match against France on Saturday.
Whangārei mayor Vince Cocurullo and local Fijian Paulina Stolz, both Rugby World Cup 2021 volunteers, helped load the Fiji team's luggage at the Discovery Settlers' hotel on Hatea Drive on Monday.
Stolz ran out of the 'Whangārei Love It Here' T-shirts for players before they departed Whangārei, so Cocurullo got some more for the rest of the players and the team management.
Fijiana players and management pose with 'Whangārei Love It Here' T-shirts before leaving the city. Photo / Supplied
She said Katonivere's presence came as a surprise, but was a huge boost to the team and the local Fijian community.
"The Fijiana team, management, supporters and visitors were overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Northland Fijian Community. Even though Fijiana lost, we all enjoyed it and had an awesome experience and there [was] lots of positive feedback," Stolz said.
She thanked all the sponsors and the Whangārei District Council for their support.
Fijiana skipper Asinate Serevi said it was never easy coming to the first World Cup, both for her as an individual and as a team.
"We do apologise for the loss, but we're so grateful for all the support. We're beyond grateful for the opportunity."
Serevi said her side was already looking forward to the next Women's Rugby World Cup.
"You'll be seeing more of Fijiana - we're still coming up the ladder. The talent and skill set we have as a team right now - I know that moving forward we'll have that, and we also need a lot more games than we've had coming into the World Cup. I believe that we can go further and get into the quarter-finals, and make it further than we did this year."
