Over 24 representatives from member rugby unions across the Pacific, including Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Nauru, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Kiribati are attending a combined 5 day World Rugby and Oceania Rugby National Development Manager Super Week in Suva, Fiji this week.
Joining the meeting are observers from Fiji Deaf Rugby and Deaf Sports and Fiji National Sports Commission (FNSC).
The Super Week – the first since the start of the COVID outbreak – brings all national development managers, and other key development personnel together for a week of collaboration and sharing of best practice.
The week will cover how to ensure the ongoing success for domestic rugby across the region.
Tui Komiti, Development and Competition Manager for Lakapi Samoa says he is grateful to be a part of the workshops.
“It has been two years away from these workshops and I hope to learn a lot of new things from other Pacific countries and to see what works for them, so I am to take back these learning to my Union,” Komiti said.
At the end of this week, each Union will have developed and/or updated the following targets for driving rugby out of the pandemic within their country.
* National development unit structure and pathways (Coaches/MO/S&C/Medical)
*Player welfare initiatives (FAIR/ACTIVATE)
* Women’s pathways
*Olympic Solidarity funding application and financial management
*Leadership and governance principles
*Safeguarding and Values Education
Oceania Rugby Training and Education Manager, Talemo Waqa highlighted that this is just the beginning to keep bringing member unions to reflect, re-adjust, re-plan and re-organise their system and processes.
“The purpose of the Super Week is centered around player welfare and development. We hope by the end of this week the Member Unions will have a knowledge of structures that they can develop pathways from grassroots right up till professional rugby.