Cunningham insists no hard feelings as he faces Wales with the Fijiana

FORMER head coach Ioan Cunningham says there are no hard feelings as he prepares to send his Fiji side into battle against Wales at the women’s Rugby World Cup on Saturday.

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The two sides go head to head in Exeter on Saturday knowing neither can progress to the quarterfinals, with Canada and Scotland already confirmed as the two Pool B qualifiers.

Cunningham led Wales for three years before leaving amid a contract row involving players and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).

While he could not explain the reasons for his exit last November, Cunningham said he bore no ill will towards his former players.

“No, not at all, I'm just focused on working with Fiji. I'm really enjoying this opportunity with a great team and great people,” Cunningham told BBC Wales Sport.

Fiji is a far cry from Cunningham's native west Wales and he admits going there was “definitely a culture change”.

“It was great as well, learning a different way of coaching and a different approach towards the game,” he said. “Also coaching in extreme heat, I hadn't done that before, like you can’t fall on a tackle bag because it’s too hot, little things like that which you wouldn't think about in Wales.