Page 52 - Islands Business October 2023 edition

Sports Sports

FIJI RUGBY WANT MORE. Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty

WILL THEY GET IT?

By Joe Yaya partnership between Fiji and Australia.
Initiated by the previous governments of Scott Morrison and
Fiji rugby finds itself at a pivotal juncture in its storied 110- Frank Bainimarama, this alliance has allowed Fijian male and
year history. female rugby teams to compete in Australian tournaments.
In recent years, the nation’s beloved sport has been making The Fijian Drua first entered the Australian National Rugby
a steady drive towards international success, each successive Championship (NRC) in 2017, finishing third in their debut
phase taking them towards a goal they had previously season and clinching the title the following year.
fumbled at for years, before the recent breakthroughs on the This success, Sorovaki believes, ignited their hunger for
international stage. more accomplishments on the rugby field.
Rugby pundits are already heralding Fiji’s entry into the Tier In 2022, the Drua became one of two Pacific teams to
1 Club after the Flying Fijians secured impressive victories, participate in the revamped Super Rugby Pacific format, as
first over England in a World Cup warm-up match and then South African teams migrated to the European PRO14 league.
Australia in a pool encounter. The Australian government, through the Department of
The triumph over the Aussies was particularly sweet, Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), provided seed funding of
coming as it did after a prolonged, 69-year gap. A$1.8 million to facilitate the Drua’s inclusion in Super Rugby
However, Sale Sorovaki, the acting CEO of Fiji Rugby Union Pacific.
(FRU), has downplayed the burgeoning hype, asserting that In the 2023 season, the Drua achieved remarkable victories
the ‘Tier 1 status’ is more a matter of mentality than reality. against top New Zealand sides, the Hurricanes and Crusaders,
“It’s just a playing of the minds,” he told Islands Business. reaching the quarter finals and finishing seventh out of twelve
Instead, Sorovaki emphasises the importance of discipline teams.
and professionalism in their onward journey, noting that they Furthermore, the Fijiana Drua, made up predominantly of
have essential strategies in place to propel Fiji into the upper local players, joined the Australian Super W competition in
echelons of global rugby. 2022 and secured back-to-back titles, with their participation
A pivotal contributor to Fiji’s recent success lies in the also funded by the Australian government.
realm of sports diplomacy, fostered through the Vuvale Sorovaki acknowledges that while Fiji boasts an

52 Islands Business, October 2023