Eric Elwood left his post as Connacht coach at the end of the 2012–13 season and was replaced by Pat Lam. The new coach felt that Fifita would be of most use to the team as a flanker, rather than a centre, and began to use the Tongan as a back row forward for the 2013–14 season. Fifita played three games in the 2013–14 Pro12 under Lam, and also made an appearance from the replacement bench against Zebre in the 2013–14 Heineken Cup, scored his first try for Connacht against the Italian side.