All to play for in the Pacific Nations Cup
SPOTLIGHT: The battle for the Pacific Nations Cup is heating as we head into the third and final round of the tournament.
The Finals series are looming this coming weekend with Tonga taking on Fiji and Japan face the USA to decide who will advance.
Who will advance to the knockout phase?
It is all to play for in the final round of the Pacific Nations Cup – with Canada the only side out of contention.
Tonga will host Fiji on Friday, September 6 at Teufaiva Stadium with a big ask to progress to the semifinals.
They must win with a bonus-point while denying Fiji any points to progress to the knockout stage.
The 100-year-old fixture will take more than just the bonus-point victory for Tonga – they will also have to beat Fiji by a minimum of 27 points to surpass both Fiji and Samoa above them in Pool A.
On the flipside of the coin – Fiji need a solitary bonus-point from the match to make the semifinals as Pool A winners.
Should they pick up that solitary point, it would also do Samoa a favour regardless of the final result, thanks to Samoa’s victory over Tonga in round two.
In the other clash – Japan will take on USA at Kumagaya Stadium on Saturday, September 7 for the second match in the round, with the winner guaranteed to win Pool B.
Both teams endured a difficult July campaign, with solitary victories against Canada.
Japan have the upper hand in terms of Victories over the USA, with seven wins out of their last eight dating back to 2008, but it will be the first time the two will face off in five years.
More so, the USA have not tasted victory over the Brave Blossoms on Japanese soil since May 2000.
The hosts will want to make a statement before hosting the Finals series next weekend.
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