Teivovo 48 June 2013 by Dom Sansom

JUNE 2013

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CONTENTS

Special Features in

Serevi Souvenir Special sponsored by Fiji Water

Along with Fiji Water, we pay tribute to the Greatest 7s Player of all time – Waisale Serevi, recently inducted into the International Rugby Board Hall of Fame – the first and only Fijian to be so honoured. Read up on everything there is to know about the Magician, the Wizard, the Master, the King of Sevens - Waisale Serevi.

Fiji – 2013 Hong Kong 7s Champions sponsored by BSP Life

#48

Regular Sections Through the Posts 10 Facebook, e-mail,

Tweets and written communications from our readers all over the world, including from former Fiji reps Timoci Nagusa and Mosese Rauluni. Head2Head 12 Nayacalevu takes on Lutumailagi in this clash of two of our brightest 7s stars.

Not many in Fiji really gave Coach Dere and his team a chance. With 10 players making their debut in the biggest rugby 7s tournament in the world – the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong 7s, the national coach had his back to the wall for making so many changes to his team to all the tournaments on the HSBC IRB7s Series – 33 players in all by one count.

Seconds with Inoke Male 12 60 Fiji’s national coach reveals all in

Celebrate one of our most unexpected international rugby 7s victories with BSP Life.

what.

this 60-second interview.

From the Horse’s Mouth 14 The usual round-up of who said

15 Armchair Read what Editor, Jeremy Duxbury, 38

Review of the 2013 Uprising 7s

On Monday 17 December 2012, exactly one month to the day before the 2013 Uprising 7s was due to kick-off in Churchill Park, Super Cyclone Evan slammed into Lautoka. The fact that the city at large and the main grandstand roof and other damage to infrastructure at Churchill Park was repaired on time was a minor miracle in itself. Read how it all came together for Fiji’s best international rugby 7s tournament.

The Fiji National Rugby League sponsored by LE

The Fiji National Rugby League scored BIG time recently; landing one of the largest apparel sponsorships ever, worth $600,000 for the Fiji Bati.

This historic piece – a first ever for rugby league in Teivovo magazine, also covers the rapid rise of “rakavi saumi” in Fiji, under the Chairmanship of Peni Musunamasi and General Manager, Tomu Finau.

Tuckers Kidz Rugby

Test your brains and eye skill with mazes and puzzles that the new FRU Directors have to pass, before starting their work at Fiji Rugby Union!!!

JUNE 2013

has to say about rugby in Fiji that make him want to fall in love with it all over again . . . and again . . . . . and again! Matters. 16 Rakavi General rugby news

– results,

ﬁxtures, and rugby betting. Raiwalui’s Column 54 Simon If you’re a budding young player thinking about playing overseas as a professional one day, read the ﬁrst of hopefully many more columns to come, from former Fiji XVs Captain, Simon Raiwalui, who is now based in Paris, France as Forwards Coach for Top 14 team, Racing Metro. Kana, Gunu kei na Lasa 62 Enjoy our guest columnist, Culden Kamea’s latest culinary delight . . . Wireless 64 Coconut CNN Breaking News - the latest rugby rumours from grog sessions all around Fiji. Last Words 66 Old Tongan saying, “Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, fart and you’re all on your own mate”!!!

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From the Publishers.....

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS COMPANY

Teivovo rocks A NEW BEAT HERE we are again... back on the street again... back in the stands again... and back on the field again.

Unfortunately we havenÊt got ridd oof him completely as he will continuee tto o keep us updated with news of th the Fi Fijians playing professionally in France Frannnce F ce and Great Britain. Our impressive list of advertisers adverti adv ad d ti tisers woul would uld ul ldd have already met our ouuur new Director Diiirector D orr off Sales and Operations, ations atio ati at t ns tio ns, Michael Mich chael ch ael Shaw, who brings years experience and a eaar aars of exp xp i xpe renewed burstt off energ eenergy erg rg to Teivovo. Well-known wnn rugby r gb nut Vela Naucukidi ru returnss to her of senior writer to h r position ppoo lead T Teivovo another hectic season Teivov vovoo into i that includes the Rugby World Cup

Vela Naucukidi Senior Writer

Vitalina Seru

7s for both t the men and women. ItÊs fantastic to have her back. And former Fiji Test captain Simon Raiwalui joins the ranks of Teivovo columnists, in this issue providing an interesting insight into the wheelings and dealings of rugby agents. As well as devoting more space to 7s rugby and rural rugby in Fiji, this edition of Teivovo kicks off a brand new Rugby League section. This addition comes with the Rugby League World Cup in October and the increased crossover between the two codes in mind. And of course, our cover shot of Waisale Serevi smothered by fans in Hong Kong says it all. We dedicate this issue of Teivovo to the maestro and his induction into the IRB Hall of Fame.

Michael Shaw

Distribution & Accounts Director Operations

Special vinaka to: nation; Alifereti ole for cheering up the wh

Waisale Serevi Male and a brilliant HK 7s; Inoke tjens and Dere and the 7s boys for Tie n rdo Go C; PR nt excelle preferred his Fiji Warriors for an ir the as 7s ng risi osing the Up and his s Mick OÊConnor for cho kin Jen ri Ga e for the laughs; tournament; Willie Los agement; Dom for our enc the for a Suv IRB 7s TV team; BLMV p; Scotland RU for doing what NZ hel the cover; Malik for the y Test matches more than 25 years – pla and Oz havenÊt done in . in the Pacific Islands

No vinaka to:

ts of interest; team managers; conflic The hiring of hopeless ts; taxis that but tte are r drainage; cig muddy pitches with poo k; bad TV jingles. par car aff gst Fla MH block the entrance to

Adidas – (Jack’s of Fiji) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Digicel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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FBC TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fiji Airways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Goodman Fielder – (Twisties) . . . . . . . . . . . .

IndoMe Noodles – (RB Patel) . . . . . . . . . . . . .

LICI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

39, 51

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Max Marketing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Pacific Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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46-49

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6 68

Simon Raiwalui

Sale Sorovaki

James Bolabiu

Culden Kamea

Jeremy Duxbury

Rugby Columnist

Rugby Consultant

Referee Consultant

Culinary Corner

The Armchair

On Gordon Street, the Fiji Rugby Union has changed their Board. Teivovo has also undergone a change in ownership and a change in management, but for very different reasons. Teivovo founder and longtime editor, Jeremy Duxbury, y, is in transition back to his family in i Europe, after 14 years of publishing this is great magazine.

PAGE

CONTACT US Teivovo is published by Cards Feejee Ltd PO Box 3574, Lami, Suva. Tel: +679 336 2888 Email: <editor@teivovo.com> Cover photo: The maestro Waisale Serevi is mobbed by his fans in Hong Kong after being inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame (HKRFU / HKSPA). Teivovo is printed by Max Marketing, 35 Ackland St, Vatuwaqa. Copyright © 2013 Cards Feejee Ltd – All rights reserved.

No materials in this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publishers.

Teivovo T Tei vovo Competition Conditions Competitions are open to all readers except employees of Sports Communications (Fiji) Ltd and other competition partners where stated. All prizes must be accepted as offered. There can be no alternative awards, cash or otherwise. In the unlikely event of a prize being unavailable, Teivovo reserves the right to offer an alternative prize of equal or greater value. Proof of posting cannot be accepted as proof of delivery. No responsibility can be accepted for entries that are lost, delayed or damaged in the post. No correspondence can be entered into and no entry returned. The judges decisions are ﬁnal. Entry implies acceptance of these rules. While every effort is made to ensure prize details are correct at times of going to press, Teivovo cannot be held responsible for incorrect prize details supplied by sponsors. Winners must be prepared to co-operate with publicity arising as a result of winning a prize, and their contact details may be passed on to the competition sponsor.

JUNE 2013

* Source Euromonitor International Limited; NIVEA by global brand name in the category Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Skin Care; in retail value terms 2011.

JJUNE JU JUN UNE 22013 UN 013 01 013 13

Through the Posts Colonial Cup was pathway In 2004, I left the Brisbane Rugby Union Premiership competition to be part of the Colonial Cup. The rugby was a lot tougher than in Brisbane with the best players from two to three provinces in one team. It was the best pathway for local players to move to Test Rugby because the four tiers were in place – club, province, Colonial Cup then Tests rugby. Why the FRU didn’t ﬁght to keep this competition going

blows me away as straight after the Colonial Cup 2004 we won the PNC and the majority of players went on to play in the 2007 RWC team. Moses Rauluni Brisbane

Overseas players Many people have blamed the overseas players for Fiji’s poor performance at RWC 2011, so I’ll tell you what I think... Personally, I pulled out of the squad, excusing myself

For all your local & international rugby updates .....search for Teivovo

JUNE 2013

with injury, but to be honest I was not injured. That same week, I played two games for the Bau team in the Tailevu club competition. The reason for pulling out was just that I was really tired. And we see some people blaming the overseas players for their performance. Come on, we all know if you sign an overseas contract, it means you were good enough. No overseas club will sign a dumb rugby player, I’m tired of hearing that my friends playing overseas were to blame for the bad campaign. Players were overtrained as if they had not been playing any rugby in a whole season. And come game time, they were not able to perform to their full ability. Why? Too much running, that’s all. No player will play for their beloved country just for the sake of it. No, it’s for the love, and we all want the FIJI ﬂag to be ﬂying high at the end of the day. Reconsider, dear friends, all we want is Fiji team up there with all the others. Sorry but I think the group that is complaining need to know. Timoci Nagusa Montpellier, France

Unhappy in London

All letters should be sent to: <editor@teivovo.com> or mailed to: Box 3574, Lami.

For those of you who are more familiar with me posting directly on the FRU Facebook site, there was a difference of agreement with a member of the Fiji 7s management team at the 2012 London 7s, and the disrespect shown towards Derek Derenalagi, a former Fijian British Army rugby rep who lost both his legs in a landmine explosion in Afghanistan. The FRU are aware of what happened and I feel unable to be associated with such individuals. I have set up a Facebook community group, The Silktails, which I hope to share to a wider audience what I write. Please share the link

with fellow friends/Fijians. The FRU are welcome to draw off information I post there while I continue to update what is best about Fijian Rugby in Europe. Marc Thompson France

Funny line-out calls Funniest rugby story I ever experienced... While playing – many kilos ago – our forward pack had a simple line-out code. A string of bullshit numbers followed by a word beginning with ‘S’ – front jumper; a string of bullshit numbers followed by a word beginning with ‘T’ – middle jumper; a string of bullshit numbers followed by a word beginning with ‘P’ – back of the line-out. S, T and P were the initials of the ﬁrst names of our three jumpers. Long-story short, on full-time, we had a lineout a metre from their line (in the days before the 5-metre rule) and our No. 8/captain gives the call. A string of bullshit numbers followed by “Psychology”. Our hooker had this ‘W-T-F’ look on his face... then you could literally see the light-bulb go off. Till my last days, I will always see him drawing his arm back a la Keven Mealamu as he threw the ball... to the front. We lost by 3 points. Tukaha Mua Suva

Thank you, Fereti We have Fereti Verebula to thank for the emergence of the talented Metuisela Talebula and Joji Ragamate. Verebula formed the 7s team Blue Sugar in 2008/09 featuring these two young players and they beat 2008 Marist 7s champions Wardens in the last game of pool play at the National Stadium. Mosese Naivalu Lautoka

JUNE 2013

d a e d H a 2 e d H a 2 e d H a He

Waisea Nayacalevu

Joeli Lutumailagi

In which year did Nadi last win the Digicel Cup?

Recently... how about 2008?

Umm…wait…wait…it was in 2008.

Which French club does Sireli Bobo play for?

One of the Paris clubs... Racing

I really don’t know…

Who is the current Nadi coach?

3 Fiji’s 7s heroes Waisea Nayacalevu and Joeli Lutumailagi go Head2Head to see who is the rugby trivia champ.

LE MP

100

5/5

)URP

you to select a gift This gift voucher entitles ing a value not exceed of your choice up to Downtown Store. $200 from any Tappoo

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A n d th e win n e r is

30 points Waisea scored he wins a to Joeli’s 20, so r Tappoo. $100 voucher fo players. Well done, both

5/5

(Long silence)…tight game...Naikadawa and Talebula. 5/5

Who was the backs coach for the Fiji Warriors in the 2012 PRC?

0/5

Alifereti Mocelutu

60 seconds Describe yourself in five words Simple, friendly, determined, fun and patient. Where did you grow up? Raralevu village in Tailevu. Big family? Five siblings altogether… three boys and two girls. What were you like at school? I was just a normal village kid, day scholar student at Lelean Memorial School. Did you play much rugby then? No, I didn’t play rugby or any other sport at that time in school.

Inoke Male receives a pair of Nike boots from Tappoo’s.

JUNE 2013

Any reason why you were such a late bloomer in rugby terms, making your Test debut in your 30s? Just like every Islander, we tend to mature late and start late in rugby. Which clubs did you play for? I played for Raralevu at age 19 years and for Navy at age 25.

0/5

Who replaced Inoke Male as Vatukoula coach?

Pass.

Don’t know

0/5

Bill Gadolo

0/5

Umm… Sale Sorovaki.

0/5

Name the two Fijians among the nominees for the ERC European player of the year 2012.

Akapusi Qera? Jim Matanavou & Netani Talei

Senirusi Seruvakula

Name the assistant coach for last year’s Fiji U20s to South Africa.

Pass… 0/5

0/5

Which team won the 2011 Super Rugby title?

Ahh...it was the Queensland Reds!

Reds.

Inoke Male.

Pass. Saiasi Fuli?

No idea. Pass. Next question?

Name the two try scorers for Fiji in the 2012 Hong Kong 7s semi-final against England?

Talebula got the second. First was... Jim Naikadawa 5/5

Ummm…Vatukoula?

5/5

Iliesa Tanivula.

Tanivula

2011, 2011, 2011... ... Navosa.

0/5

5/5

Joeli Lutumailagi

Name the team that was relegated from the major unions in 2011.

5/5

Waisea Nayacalevu

0/5

5/5

with

Inoke Male

Biggest challenges as a coach in Fiji? We don’t have much in the way of facilities here. Biggest challenge overall for Fiji Rugby? Money… we don’t have enough financial assistance or sponsors. Advice to aspiring players? Always aim high and don’t give up!

What is the best country you’ve ever toured? Italy.

Best advice you give players before they go onto the field? Trust each other and don’t give up.

Most embarrassing rugby moment? When I got injured during the Italy tour (2001).

Best advice from your mum? Fear God…

Most respected opponent? Junior Paramore (Samoa)

Best moment in rugby career? Beating Samoa in 2001 after a 15year lapse in Apia, and again in the final in Japan (Epson Cup).

Most annoying team-mate? Bill Cavubati, because he snores a lot!

Your favourite possession? My mobile phone…

The coach that helped you the most? Greg smith (Australia)

Worst job you’ve ever had? Bottle collector just for a day.

QUICK FIRE Answer the four questions correctly and be e in the draw to win one of three cool prizes from Tappoo. 3. Which overseas team reached the Uprising 7s semi-finals? a) Aussie Thunderbolts b) Samoan Baabaas c) NZ Emerging VII

1. What is Fiji’s worst-ever defeat in a RWC match? a) 0-66 b) 13-74 c) 3-49 2. Who was the Player of Tournament at Hong Kong 7s? a) Ilai Tinai b) Samisoni Viriviri c) Nemani Nagusa

4. Name the FRU’s current nt chief executive officer. a) Keni Dakuidreketi b) Manasa Baravilala c) Culden Kamea

Nike Quick Fire #48:

1 ______

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Name: Tel: Address: Boot size (UK): ________ _ Send to: ‘Quick Fire #48’, Teivovo, Box 12248, Suva. Deadline – 25 May 2013. Original forms only.

# Answers to QuickFire #47: 1-B, 2-B, 3-C, 4-B.

Winners: 1. Ilaitia Tuilawaki (Nasinu) 2. Ovini Lorosio (Nadi) 3. Rt. Simione Cokanawai (Navua) vua)

h t i w s e z i r p WIN 3 cool

Digicel Fiji 7s Seviin Replica Jersey

Nike Egoli FG Boots Pepsi – Assorted Pack

Conditions of entry: JUNE 2013 13 Employees of Tappoo & Teivovo are not eligible. Winners will be notified by phone and prizes can be collected from the Teivovo office.

FROM THE

HORSES MOUTH

“Franck Boivert is employed by the IRB not the FRU.” – outgoing FRU chairman, Col Mosese Tikoitoga, after some provinces questioned whether FRU Academy Manager Franck Boivert had a conﬂict of interest while being employed by Tacklesmart Sports Agency (FRU AGM, 27/04/13).

“I can say with 100% accuracy that Franck Boivert is not an employee of the IRB... never has been.” – Will Glenwright, IRB General Manager for Oceania (27/04/13).

“Great memories from the tour – my favourite, hands down, was standing in a huddle with Fijian players straight after game singing songs.” – Scotland halfback Mike Blair reﬂects on a great tour (Twitter, 25/06/12).

JUNE 2013

“Scotland became the first Tier 1 side to play a Test in the Pacific Islands since 2006 when they tackled Fiji and Samoa and were widely praised for making the trip. But far from being able to feast on this seemingly elevated status, Pacific nations are destined to live off scraps in the June window with only Wales slated to venture their way, and not until 2017.” – Journalist Graham Jenkins points to a false dawn in terms of Tier 1 sides coming to Fiji (scrum.com 27/06/2012).

“Great season, Nikola is probably the most exciting player to watch in Europe at the moment!,” – Former Fiji captain Simon Raiwalui after Nikola Matawalu was named Player of the Year at Glasgow Warriors (Teivovo Facebook 28/04/2013). “You know how everyone goes on about Chuck Norris? Caita... Chuck Norris madaga scared of Setefano Cakau. Hahaha! Deadly guy! No one has ever seen Setefano Cakau smile. No one alive anyway. Iaia!” – FM96’s Alex Elbourne (Teivovo Facebook).

The A need for Armchair — Jeremy Duxbury

Rugby Experience

A totally new FRU Board entered the picture last month, just like in 2009 and 2011, and faces the exact same challenges – to run FRU operations at Gordon Street within (a reasonably large) budget and to sort out the competition structure so that the standard of the domestic game improves.

T the end of 2011, FRU’s then-chairman, Col. Mosese Tikoitoga, stated that all the FRU staff would need to resign and re-apply for positions under a new organisational chart, noting that its staff were probably the highest paid of any sports organisation in the region. Great plans, but what became of them? They didn’t happen, and Fiji missed the chance to re-organise things so that rugby could be run efficiently and effectively. The consequences of not carrying out those plans can perhaps be seen in the 2012 Annual Report, a deficit of more than $600,000 and the loss of several key sponsors. What is not immediately apparent in the report is the continued decline in standard of the 15s game in Fiji. This has been there since 2008 when the powers that be decided quite bizarrely to scrap the Colonial Cup, a competition that had been a major factor in Fiji’s success at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The Colonial Cup also provided an excellent pathway for players and officials wanting to be the best. It covered every part of Fiji: no matter which village in which province you came from, you could be part of one of the six franchises. And it had U19 and

U21 levels too, funded by a smaller and more efficient FRU. This competition was a step above the Digicel Cup, not only for players but also for officials. The most promising coaches, managers and trainers would be selected for the Colonial Cup teams (sometimes the age grade teams as well). The ones that performed really well were then selected for the Fiji Warriors or Fiji Barbarians in the Pacific Rugby Cup.

Natural progression This natural progression would mean that the best and most reliable ofﬁcials would stand out and be in line for an appointment with one of the national teams. However, this pathway has disappeared. Now, the managers of the national teams seem to come out of nowhere, without prior experience at provincial or even club level. So it’s no wonder Fiji Rugby is having problems again, as witnessed by the Paciﬁc Rugby Cup incident in Brisbane that led to the Fiji Warriors manager getting a four-year ban by the IRB. Serious stuff. As for the new Board, Teivovo was told that there was a move to bring in directors from outside of rugby. I believe that is

wrong. Yes, we need people with leadership, marketing and ﬁnance skills, but most importantly we need people with rugby hearts, people that know provincial rugby inside out and have been involved in rugby administration and management as part of their daily lives. If you bring in too many outsiders, like has been the case at times, you can all but guarantee failure. The Board and the administration at Rugby House are the custodians of the sport, ﬁrst and foremost. We need people there who live and breathe rugby.

Wise words Former FRU president, Saki Tuisolia, summed this up well when he said: “For far too long, we’ve had people who seek to get into FRU because of public status, fame, board privileges, rugby tours etc. They were not actively involved in rugby before or after their term of office, and thus have zero commitment to the development of the game or interest in the welfare of players.” This applies equally to the FRU staff. Speaking of rugby experience, could anyone tell me what happened to the Games Committee? In my day, it was made up of Rafa Kasibulu, Tevita Koroi and the late Mosese Nailumu, all of whom had vast knowledge in rugby, and when it came to the competition structure and choosing officials of the national teams could be relied upon to make the right decisions. It appears that the most recent FRU Games Committees did not involve themselves much in the planning of the domestic season and left that to the staff at Rugby House – a crucial mistake. Ditto with the Human Resources Committee, which used to be a sub-committee of the Board and would oversee all new staff recruitments. It appears now that the staff themselves interview candidates for other staff positions. That is unhealthy. Include the CEO, by all means, but the Directors need to be involved in this process to keep it transparent and neutral. Best wishes to the new Board on the difficult road ahead. There’s a lot of work to be done. JUNE 2013

I RAmKaAtteVrs FRU manager gets 4-year ban The International Rugby Board handed down a four-year suspension to Fiji Warriors team manager Saiyasi Tubuna in April after finding him guilty of charges relating to in incident when the team was on tour in Australia. Tubuna is thus suspended from all rugby managerial and coaching positions until 26 March 2017. At the completion of this suspension, he will also be required to complete specific courses and counselling before he is permitted to resume being involved in management or coaching at any level. The charges related to an incident that occurred in Queensland on 8th March, though no details of the incident were published. Tubuna pleaded guilty to the charges, as did the Fiji Rugby Union who were also charged as a result of Tubuna’s actions. The ban continues a disappointing trend in FRU team managers in recent years with several having discipline problems of their own whilst on tour in both 7s and 15s.

Agents hot topic Fiji Rugby Academy manager Franck Boivert became the topic of hot debate at the FRU Annual General Meeting in regards to a possible conflict of interest. Suva and Naitasiri both objected to the duel role Boivert has as a prominent member of the FRU’s High Performance Unit as well as a consultant for Tacklesmart Sports Consulting Ltd, a player agency run by the FRU’s financial director Napolioni Batimala. Batimala confirmed that Boivert is a consultant for Tacklesmart and that since 2010 the Frenchman’s work permit for Fiji was as an employee of his company. Some unions voiced their concern that as part of the selection panel of elite players at the HPU, Boivert must be neutral and that the player recommendations that he makes to Tacklesmart must also be neutral. Batimala said the FRU Board had cleared the issue and that he had not been part of the recruitment process when FRU hired Boivert. FRU then-chairman Col. Mosese Tikoitoga noted that Boivert was an employee of the IRB, not FRU itself;

though IRB Oceania general manager Will Glenwright, later clarified to Teivovo that Boivert is not and has never been an IRB employee. Clearly embarrassed by the issue, Boivert later said that he was not a player agent and that he was talking with Immigration to make a change to his work permit. Despite the FRU making a loss of $606,000 in 2012, Batimala stood unopposed for the position of finance director and was thus elected for another two-year term. However, eastern unions have called for his resignation over the agency matter.

Dawai killed in crash Former Fiji U21 captain Samueli Dawai Naulu died in a car crash in France on 30 March. He was 31. Hailing from Narewa in Nadi, Dawai attended Ratu Navula School and played loose forward for his Nadi club side Western Marine. In April 2004, he captained the Fiji side at the U21 RWC qualifiers in Apia where Fiji went down to both Samoa and Tonga. Dawai featured for Nadi 10 times in the 2004 season, mostly at No.8. He played in the Telecom Fiji Cup semi-final against Tailevu and also the Sullivan-Farebrother Trophy

when Nadi hit their high with a 34-18 win over holders Tailevu. At the end of the season, Dawai was selected for the Fiji ‘A’ side to play NZ Divisional XV in Nausori, a game which they won 16-13 a few days after the Kiwis had beaten the Flying Fijians in Suva. He started the 2005 season in the Western Crusaders squad for the Colonial Cup but soon left for France when Franck Boivert found him a place with his old club Perpignan. Dawai enjoyed two strong seasons on the wing with Perpignan, scoring 11 tries in 45 matches. However, a serious injury followed by a botched operation put a halt to his top flight career.

Women’s rugby reaches crossroads WOMEN’S rugby in Fiji has come so far in recent times that they have now qualified for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 7s next month in Moscow after winning the Asia-Pacific Championship in Pune, India. This comes on the back of six years of work by coach and mentor Elenoa Kunatuba in which time she has also led the Fijiana to victories in the Oceania 7s in Port Moresby, and the Pacific Games in Noumea. But all this progress, which has come through hard work and long hours of training, could be lost overnight if the Fiji Women’s Rugby Union is not given the respect it deserves from the Fiji Rugby Union. Despite women’s 7s now being in the Olympics and one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, the Fijiana still struggle for recognition from the people who are entrusted to look after them, the FRU. Having beaten China and Japan convincingly in Pune last year, the Fijiana slumped badly last month and lost to 6 1616

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both of these teams to finish 11th of 12 teams. With the WRWC 7s just two months away, Kunatuba was relieved of her duties as head coach, and replaced by Timoci Wainiqolo, who to our knowledge has not previously coached women’s rugby. No-one questions Wainiqolo’s credentials as a men’s coach. With Wardens he has won most major tournaments in Fiji and half of the current Digicel Fiji 7s squad have come through his team. But this position wasn’t advertised; nor was that of the manager for the trip to the China 7s. It was handed to Laijipa Naulivou, a relative of FRU’s chief executive Manasa Baravilala. And these appointments were made by the FRU without the consultation of the FWRU, who organise and administer all the local competitions. According to HPU general manager Mike Ryan, the Fijiana 7s is a “high performance team” and therefore needs

DOMESTIC & INTERNATIONAL Results & Fixtures Six Nations 2013

Sat 23 Feb

Sat 2 Feb

Wales 22 Ireland 30 England 38 Scotland 18

Spain 15 Romania 15 Portugal 18 Belgium 12 Russia 9 Georgia 23

Sun 3 Feb

Sat 9 March

Italy 23 France 18

Portugal 23 Russia 31 Belgium 14 Romania 32 Georgia 61 Spain 18

Sat 9 Feb

Scotland 34 Italy 10 France 6 Wales 16

Blues Devt 41 Fiji Warriors 10 Chiefs Devt 50 Tonga A 18 Sydney Acdmy 47 Japan Jrs 28 Thur 28 March

Hurricanes Devt 38 Fiji Warriors 20 Crusader Kgts 70 Tonga A 19 Chiefs Devt 35 Samoa A 25 Blues Devt 43 Japan Jrs 19

Sat 16 March

Sun 10 Feb

Spain 9 Portugal 9 Romania 9 Georgia 9 Russia 43 Belgium 32

Ireland 6 England 12 Sat 23 Feb Italy 9 Wales 26

Final Standings: P W Georgia 5 4 Romania 5 4 Russia 5 3 Spain 5 1 Belgium 5 0 Spain 5 0

England 23 France 13 Sun 24 Feb

Scotland 12 Ireland 8 Sat 9 March

Scotland 18 Wales 28 Ireland 13 France 13 Sun 10 March

England 18 Italy 11 Sat 16 March

Tues 2 April

Highlndrs Devt 63 Japan Jrs 10 Mon 7 April

Hurricnes Devt 73 Japan Jrs 43 D 1 1 0 1 1 2

L 0 0 2 3 4 3

Pts 19 19 14 7 5 5

Fri 26 April

Fri 14 June

Sat 14 September

USA v Tonga (Carson)

Australia v Pumas (Perth) NZ v S Africa (Auckland)

Wed 19 June

Sat 28 September

S Africa v Australia (Cape Town) Argentina v NZ (La Plata) Sat 5 October

S Africa v NZ (Jo’burg) Argentina v Australia (Rosario) British & Irish Lions 2013 Sat 1 June

Baabaas v Lions (Hong Kong)

Sat 15 June

Wed 5 June

W Force v Lions (Perth)

Fri 10 May

Italy v Samoa (Nelspruit) S Africa v Scotalnd (Nelspruit)

UAE v Japan (Dubai)

Sat 22 June

Reds v Lions (Brisbane)

3rd vs 4th (Pretoria) 1st v 2nd (Pretoria)

Tues 11 June

Thur 7 March

S Korea v Philippines (Ansan)

Sydney Acdmy 24 Samoa A 33 ACT XV 62 Tonga A 12 Brisbane Acdmy 17 Fiji W’rs 24

Sat 18 May

S Korea v HK (Ansan) Philippines v UAE (Manila)

Tues 12 March

RWC 2015 qualifiers Sat 27 April

Chile 38 Brazil 22 Uruguay 18 Argentina 29

Mon 18 March

Wed 1 May

Highlnders Devt 37 Fiji W’rs 37 Reds College 59 Japan Jrs 14 Hurricanes Devt 68 Tonga A 3 Blues Devt 17 Samoa A 19

Uruguay 58 Brazil 7 Argentina 85 Chile 10

Sun 23 March

Australia v S Africa (Brisbane) NZ v Pumas (Hamilton)

Canada v Tonga (Kingston)

Samoa v Scotland (Durban) S Africa v Italy (Durban)

Hong Kong 0 Japan 38

Sat 11 May

Belgium 21 Spain 21 Romania 29 Russia 14 Georgia 25 Portugal 12

Sat 7 September

Sat 8 June

Sat 27 April

Reds College 24 Tonga A 3

Sat 9 Feb

Canada v Fiji (Nepean)

Quadrangular Tournament

UAE 75 S Korea 10

Sat 2 March

Portugal 13 Romania 19 Belgium 13 Georgia 17 Russia 13 Spain 9

Wed 5 June

Fiji v Tonga (Tokyo) Japan v USA (Tokyo)

Final Standings: P W Wales 5 4 England 5 4 Scotland 5 2 Italy 5 2 France 5 1 Ireland 5 1 Sat 2 Feb

Sat 24 August

NZ v Australia (Wellington) Pumas v S Africa (Mendoza)

Sun 23 June

Japan 64 S Korea 5 Philippines 20 HK 59

Six Nations B 2013

Sat 1 June

Fiji v Japan (Lautoka)

HK 53 UAE 7 Japan 121 Philippines 0

Fri 1 March

W Force A 34 Samoa A 11 Sydney Acdmy 32 Tonga A 18 Brisbne Acdmy 76 Japan Jrs 26 Rebel Rising 22 Fiji Warriors 27

Australia v NZ (Sydney) S Africa v Pumas (Bloemfontein)

Sat 20 April

Sat 4 May

L Pts 1 8 1 8 3 4 3 4 3 3 3 3

Sat 17 August

Canada v USA (Edmonton) Japan v Tonga (Yokohama)

Asian 5 Nations 2013

IRB Pacific Rugby Cup 2013

D 0 0 0 0 1 1

Rugby Championship 2012

Sat 25 May

Fiji v USA (Nagoya) Japan v Canada (Nagoya)

Italy 22 Ireland 15 Wales 30 England 3 France 23 Scotland 16

Waratahs A ppd Fiji W’rs ppd ACT XV 58 Samoa A 19

IRB Pacific Nations Cup

Sat 4 May

Argentina 83 Brazil 0 Uruguay 23 Chile 9

Crusader Kgts 30 Samoa A 27

Sat 8 June

NSW-QLD County v Lions (Newcastle) Sat 15 June

Internationals Sat 8 June

Waratahs v Lions (Sydney)

NZ v France (Auckland) Japan v Wales (Osaka) Argentina v England (Salta) USA v Ireland (Houston)

Tues 18 June

Brumbies v Lions (Canberra) Sat 22 June Sat 22 June 2013

Sat 15 June

Australia v Lions (Brisbane)

NZ v France (Addington) Japan v Wales (Tokyo) Argentina v England (B Aires) Canada v Ireland (Toronto)

Tues 25 June

Rebels v Lions (Melbourne) Fri 28 June 2013

Australia v Lions (Melbourne)

Sat 22 June

Sat 6 July 2013

NZ v France (New Plymouth) Argentina v Georgia

Australia v Lions (Sydney)

IRB World Rankings (as of 29 April 2013)

to be run by the HPU. Fair enough. But why was it not treated like that before the trip to China? Why did the players have to camp at the coach’s house? Why did the invitation to participate in the Hong Kong 7s get turned down, even though the team was passing through Hong Kong on the way to China a few days later? We can only hope that Mike Ryan takes a more positive view of women’s rugby than his predecessors did. Ditto for the CEO. The criticism of Kunatuba, we understand, was not so much the actual results of the tour, but the fact that she was getting too close to the players and picking her favourites. If that was so, then it probably came about through lack of support from the parent body. A better solution would sure-

ly have been to help Kunatuba, help women’s rugby, and to include the FWRU in the decision-making. As it is, the FRU held Fijiana open trials on 30 April and included players that were under suspension from the FWRU, underlining its lack of regard for the women’s body. Worse, during the trials, one of the selectors rang a suspended player, told her to attend and even paid for her taxi to the ground. Upset with the whole saga, many national squad players did not attend the trials, including some of the key experienced reps. It’s not too late to rectify a terrible situation. The HPU needs to bring all the parties together to make sure we take our absolute best team to Moscow with the best officials. — Jeremy Duxbury

1 (1) 2 (2) 3 (3) 4 (4) 5 (5) 6 (6) 7 (7) 8 (8) 9 (9) 10 (10) 11 (11) 12 (12) 13 (13) 14 (14) 15 (15) 16 (16) 17 (17) 18 (18) 19 (19) 20 (20) 21 (21) 22 (22) 23 (23) 24 (24) 25 (25) 26 (26) 27 (27) 28 (28) 29 (29) 30 (30)

New Zealand ...........90.08 South Africa ............86.94 Australia ..................86.87 England....................83.72 Wales .......................83.36 France ......................81.59 Samoa ......................78.71 Argentina .................78.71 Ireland ......................78.05 Scotland ...................76.86 Tonga .......................76.10 Italy ..........................76.06 Fiji ............................71.52 Canada .....................71.41 Japan ........................70.09 USA...........................68.32 Georgia.....................67.66 Romania ..................65.82 Russia ......................62.34 Spain ........................60.44 Uruguay ...................59.37 Portugal ...................58.82 Namibia ...................58.45 Belgium....................57.52 Chile .........................57.34 S Korea ....................56.72 Poland......................56.13 Germany ..................55.96 Hong Kong...............55.69 Moldova ...................53.77

31 (31) 32 (32) 33 (33) 34 (34) 35 (35) 36 (36) 37 (37) 38 (38) 39 (39) 40 (40) 41 (41) 42 (42) 43 (43) 44 (44) 45 (45) 46 (48) 47 (46) 48 (47) 49 (50) 50 (51) 51 (52) 52 (53) 53 (49) 54 (54) 55 (55) 56 (56) 57 (57) 58 (58) 59 (59) 60 (60)

Zimbabwe ...............52.57 Morocco ...................52.35 Brazil ........................51.86 Netherlands ............51.53 Sweden ....................51.39 Ukraine ....................50.97 Kenya .......................50.28 Paraguay .................50.06 Sri Lanka..................49.88 Switzerland .............48.80 Uganda ....................48.76 Madagascar.............48.19 Tunisia .....................48.18 Kazakhstan .............48.11 Ivory Coast ..............47.67 Lithuania .................47.47 Senegal ....................47.14 Bermuda ..................46.78 Israel ........................46.70 Malta ........................46.63 PNG ..........................46.55 Czech Republic ........46.11 Croatia .....................46.04 Trinidad & Tobago ..44.68 Cook Islands ...........44.61 Philippines...............44.34 Taiwan .....................44.15 Colombia ..................43.65 Guyana.....................43.56 Thailand ...................43.37

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I RAmKaAtteVrs Welsh ref gets comeuppance over comments Welsh referee Hugh Watkins has resigned from his job as a top-level official over a comment he made on Twitter in regards to Ilai Tinai’s tiptackle in the Hong Kong 7s Final. Watkins stepped down after being summoned before a Welsh RU disciplinary panel over a tweet he posted on the social media website questioning a decision by South African referee Marius Van der Westhuizen in Wales’s defeat to Fiji. In regards to Tinai’s tackle on Wales’s Lee Williams, he tweeted: “Sorry that’s a shocker. Had to be red no other option. We need referees to be consistent in this.” The WRU’s code of conduct for referees states they shouldn’t make any public criticism of other officials on any medium, including social media sites. He was banned for 12 weeks.

Qera short-listed for award Former Nadroga flanker Akapusi Qera has been short-listed for Player

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of the Season in the English Premiership after another great year with Gloucester. The shortlist for the award is: · Steve Borthwick – Saracens · Danny Care - Harlequins · Akapusi Qera - Gloucester · Julian Salvi - Leicester · Christian Wade - Wasps · Tom Youngs - Leicester

Matawalu tops list

Lions name squad

Nikola Matawalu capped his first year with Glasgow Warriors with the club’s player-of-the-season award The Fijian halfback has been a revelation since joining the Scottish club last summer. Having scored seven tries in just 15 appearances for Warriors, and produced some of the most flamboyant individual rugby seen in a Glasgow shirt, it was no surprise Matawalu was the winner

Jonny Wilkinson missed out on the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia despite owning Owen Farrell in their head-to-head clash in the Heineken Cup semi-final; but he is on the reserves list. Hats off to the Pacific Island boys Manu Tuilagi, Mako Vunipola and Toby Faletau for making the squad. Respect.

RWC 2015 schedule To qualify for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Fiji must beat the Oceania champions in a one-off match next year. That will most likely be against either PNG or the Cooks. The schedule would thus be as follows: Fri 18 Sept v England (Twickenham) Wed 23 Sept v Australia (Cardiff) Thur 1 Oct v Wales (Cardiff) Tue 6 Oct v Repechage (Milton Keynes)

of the award which was voted for via Twitter by the club’s supporters. The man, known simply as Niko to the Scotstoun faithful, said: “I’m really enjoying my rugby now and I feel that I’ve improved a lot since I came here.”

British & Irish Lions to Oz 2013: Backs: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Rob Kearney (Ireland), Tommy Bowe (Ireland), Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Sean Maitland (Scotland), George North (Wales), Jonathan Davies (Wales), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), Jamie Roberts (Wales), Manu Tuilagi (England), Owen Farrell (England), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Conor Murray (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales), Ben Youngs (England). Forwards: Dan Cole (England), Cian Healy (Ireland), Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Adam Jones (Wales), Matt Stevens (England), Mako Vunipola (England), Dylan Hartley (England), Richard Hibbard (Wales), Tom Youngs (England), Ian Evans (Wales), Richie Gray (Scotland), Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O’Connell (Ireland), Geoff Parling (England), Tom Croft (England), Toby Faletau (Wales), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Sean O’Brien (Ireland), Justin Tipuric (Wales), Sam Warburton (Wales, captain).

Wow! What a moment. What an occasion for the little man, an absolute giant among Fijian men and rugby 7s players around the world. Arise, Sir Serevi, arise into the IRB Hall of Fame. As someone who has had the privilege of following Serevi’s career as a rugby commentator on radio, television and in the press over a couple of decades, it was an emotional moment to witness his induction into the IRB Hall of Fame late on the Saturday night at the 2013 Hong Kong 7s, as I’m sure it was also for so many other citizens of Fiji. Fittingly as well, as it was at this tournament in 1989 where Waisale Serevi first stamped his mark on the international scene as a very, very special player, going on to establish himself in tournament after tournament as the Wizard, the Magician, the Master, the King of 7s Rugby the world over. During this time, Serevi weaved his magic over all opposing players and teams alike and more importantly for the Hong Kong tournament and rugby 7s in general, Serevi also weaved his magic over a growing media and global television audience. Long before the IRB World 7s series became a reality, Serevi’s 7s magic; the goose-step, the duck and weave, the slight of hand, the burst of speed, the dummy pass, the one handed cross-field sling pass; won over to rugby fans from a much wider audience, including visibly more women and children, especially across Asia and other frontier rugby lands. Ever the gentleman and a good sportsman, Serevi’s diminutive stature, bright eyes and easy smile made him rugby 7s first true global media icon. In fact, one could very easily argue, that the growth and popularity of the annual Hong Kong 7s in two short decades was fueled mainly by the magic of Waisale Serevi, and, in turn, the fantastic rugby 7s on show in Hong Kong each year, coupled with the 24-hours after-party that is Hong Kong, has led the way for the introduction of another abbreviated sports code; Twenty-20 Cricket. Consider also if rugby 7s would even be on the program for the 2016 Rio Olympics had it not been for Serevi’s involvement in the game, I seriously don’t think so. Little wonder then that when asked by the International Rugby Board where he’d like to receive the honour of his induction into the IRB Hall of Fame, Serevi instantly, but not surprisingly, chose Hong Kong over his homeland of Fiji and his new home base, the United States.

Waisale Serevi and the Hong Kong 7s will always be as one; the best rugby 7s tournament in the world and the Wizard, the Magician, the Master, the King of 7s rugby. Over the next few pages, Teivovo pays tribute to this most famous son of Fiji and global rugby 7s icon, Waisale Serevi. Please enjoy. By Culden Kamea

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Serevi Special - Factfile IRB Hall of Fame - Induction No.57 - Waisale Tikoisolomoni Serevi (1968-) Fiji, Nabua, Nasinu, Mitsubishi, Leicester Tigers, Stade Montois (Mont-de-Marsan), Stade Bordelais (Bordeaux), Staines Personal details

Waisale Serevi, “The King of Sevens” is the latest individual to be inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame. Fittingly, Fiji’s most famous player was bestowed with the honour at the sixth round of the HSBC Sevens World Series, the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, a tournament he has graced many times and with unrivalled success throughout his illustrious career. IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset made the presentation to Serevi ahead of his country’s match against Canada. “Serevi is one of Rugby’s true greats,? Lapasset said. “He was an exceptional player who has excelled in both Sevens and Fifteens and achieved all that there is to achieve in Rugby Sevens with his beloved Fiji, winning Rugby World Cup Seven and Sevens World Series titles, while also winning the hearts of fans around the world with his exciting and entertaining style of play.” “He was a gentleman in victory and defeat and played his Rugby with a smile, promoting Rugby’s character-building values of passion, respect, discipline, solidarity and integrity.” “There is no doubt that his exploits on and off the field firmly established Pacific Island Rugby on the global Rugby map, while also playing a significant part in the phenomenal rise in popularity of Rugby Sevens, which ultimately played a significant role in Rugby Sevens becoming an Olympic Sport.” “I am delighted to be inducting Serevi into the IRB Hall of Fame in the FIji Rugby Union’s centenary year.”

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– Born: 20 May 1968 in Suva, Fiji – Family: The second of three sons of the late Meli Serevi, a city engineer in Suva, and Sisilia Serevi. His older brother Navitalai played club rugby, while younger brother Meli played for the Suva provincial team. He is married to Karalaini, who has resigned from the Fijian Defence Forces to bring up their three children - daughters Unaisi and Asinate and son Waisale Pierre Jr. – Education: Delainamasi Government School (1974-1980) and Lelean Memorial (Secondary) School in Nasinu. He failed his Fiji Junior Certificate examination in 1984 due to his commitment to rugby. As he put it, he “played too much and didn’t spend enough time studying.” – Nicknames: King of Sevens, Small, Wizard and Maestro – Other sports: Touch rugby and volleyball – Other: He always had a Biblical reference ‘Philippians 4:13’ written on his strapping or jersey when he played in major competitions. This reads “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Rugby career (Fifteens) – Started playing rugby at Delainamasi School as a scrum half in 1978 and continued in the same position at Lelean Memorial School from 1980-84 – Began training with his province Rewa at the age of 18 – He was selected for the Fiji national squad from Rewa in 1988, to play in the then called AGC South Pacific Championship – In 1989, he joined Nabua RFC, where - under the guidance of coaches Ratu Kitone Tuibua and Vesito Rauluni - he remained until 1992, when he joined Nasinu RFC. – Signed for the Japanese club Mitsubishi in 1993 and went on playing for them until 1997. – He joined Leicester in 1997 on a two-year contract – After a season he left to join Stade Montois (Mont-de-Marsan) in France – He left Mont-de-Marsan to join Stade Bordelais (Bordeaux) in January 2004 – His last professional club was Staines in England. He joined them at the beginning of 2004/05 season, but decided to retire from club rugby at the end of the campaign – He did however carry on playing Fifteens for the Suva provincial side until 2010 – Played scrum half for Fiji B against Tonga in 1988 and also for a Fiji XV v Australian Fijians as part of the Fiji Rugby Union’s 75th anniversary celebrations in 1988 – In 1988, he made his international debut for Fiji against Wellington, when he appeared from the bench for about 10 minutes

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Serevi Special - Factfile – His first start for Fiji was against a New Zealand Divisional XV on 29 October 1988, an occasion he marked by scoring two tries in a 24-20 loss in Suva – Made his Test debut at fly half against Belgium on 7 October 1989 and scored two tries in a 76-0 win – Selected for the Barbarians FC v Scotland in May 2000, the first of his five selections for the Barbarians – He played his last Test against Japan at RWC 2003, also at fly half, in a 41-13 win, but sadly came off with a broken collarbone after only 10 minutes Test career: Against Wales England Scotland Ireland Australia South Africa Argentina Italy France Spain Samoa Tonga Japan Canada USA NZ Maori (Rep) Namibia Uruguay Belgium Chile Total

Matches Tries 1 1 0 2 0 4 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 2 2 0 4 1 1 1 4 0 5 2 2 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 1 11 38

Cons 1 1 5 1 2 0 1 1 0 2 3 3 4 0 0 2 8 4 0 2 38

Pens 0 2 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 3 7 1 0 1 2 2 2 0 0 25

DGs 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

Points Won Drawn 0 0 7 0 0 11 0 1 22 0 0 2 0 0 15 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 15 0 0 0 0 1 9 0 1 20 0 3 30 0 2 19 0 1 3 0 1 3 0 0 10 0 1 22 0 1 19 0 1 8 0 1 4 0 15 211

Lost 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 4 0 3 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 21

Sevens career – Played for Ratu Kitone’s all-conquering Nabua side with the Rauluni brothers (his uncles) – Selected by Fiji for the Sydney Sevens in 1989 – Selected by for Fiji for the Hong Kong Sevens in 1989, where Fiji lost to New Zealand in the final, but Serevi was voted the Player of the Tournament. – In 1990 Fiji, with Serevi playing an increasingly influential role, won the Hong Kong Sevens, the first of three consecutive titles – In 1997, with Serevi as captain, Fiji won the second RWC 7s in Hong Kong, defeating South Africa 24-21 in the final. Serevi was the tournament’s top scorer with 117 points – In 1998, in the first Commonwealth Games to feature Sevens, Fiji reached the final with Serevi at the helm, only to lose 21-12 to New Zealand – He captained the Penguins to two Middlesex Charity Sevens titles in 1999 and 2000, when he played alongside his great rival Eric Rush – At the end of the year, he returned to form to lead Fiji to the World Games title in Akita, where they defeated Australia 35-19 in the final – At the Hong Kong Sevens in 2001, Serevi became the first player to score more than 1,000 points in the Hong Kong tournament’s history. That year Serevi captained Fiji at the second Commonwealth Games in Manchester, where they lost 33-17 to New Zealand in the final.

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– In 2005 Serevi returned to Fiji where he was appointed the captain of the RWC 7s team by coach Wayne Pivac. In Hong Kong, he led Fiji to a second RWC 7s title, defeating England in the semi-final after sudden-death extra time and New Zealand in the final. – Serevi then became player-coach of the Fiji 7s team for the last three tournaments of the 2004/05 Series. In his first full season as player-coach in 2005/06, Serevi led Fiji to their first-ever IRB Sevens World Series title, breaking New Zealand’s stranglehold on the trophy Coaching career – In 2001 he joined the coaching staff of Mont-de-Marsan in France – He was appointed Fiji 7s coach in 2005, while still a player. That year Fiji did well in Singapore, London and Paris, and won the gold medal at the World Games in Germany – He coached Fiji to the IRB Sevens World Series title in 2005/06, the first time a team, other than New Zealand, had lifted the overall crown – In 2006, Serevi coached Fiji to the bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and to the final of

Serevi Special - Factfile

– –

– Hong Kong Sevens – Serevi played for and coached Fiji during the IRB Sevens World Series in 2006/07, when they finished second, two points behind New Zealand – In 2008 he became coach of the Chinese Taipei national team for the Hong Kong 7s, and in July he was re-appointed coach of the Fiji team in time for the 2008/09 IRB Sevens World Series. However, he only managed two more tournaments before splitting with the FRU in January 2009, much to the Fiji public’s disappointment

– Appointed 7s development officer for the Papua New Guinea RFU – He has moved to Seattle, USA, where, in addition to his business interests, he found time to coach Old Puget Sounds RFC and Central Washington University, while running rugby training workshops for youngsters Career records and highlights – Between 17 April 1988 (v Wellington) and 23 October 2003 (v Japan), he played a total of 65 matches for Fiji, scoring 341 points (20 tries) – Of these 65 selections for Fiji, 38 were Tests, in which he scored 221 points (11 tries, 40 conversions and 27 penalties) – At the time of the induction he was Fiji’s fourth highest point scorer – He was in the Fiji starting line-up on 23 occasions - 16 times at fly half, four times at full back, twice on the wing and once at scrum half – He is the only Fiji player to have played in every position in the backline – He played seven times for Fiji in three Rugby World Cup tournaments: two matches at RWC 1991, three at RWC 1999 and two at RWC 2003 – He played for a World XV against Leicester at Twickenham in 1996 and 1997 – Played for the French Barbarians against

–

– –

then world champions South Africa in 1997 in Biarritz, contributing three con versions, two penalties and a drop goal in the 40-22 victory Played for the Barbarians five times between 2000 and 2004, scoring 32 points He played in the 1993, 1997, 2001 and 2005 RWC Sevens tournaments for a record seven Rugby World Cup tournaments altogether (Fifteens and Sevens) Captained Fiji to two Rugby World Cup Sevens titles in 1997 and 2005 Helped Fiji win seven Hong Kong Sevens titles. He played in the Hong Kong Sevens a record 18 times between 1989 and 2007 By the end of his career, Serevi was the leading point scorer in RWC Sevens history with 297. His compatriot Marika Vunibaka is the next best with 115 points In his 21 IRB Sevens World Series tournaments as coach, Fiji reached the final 13 times, winning on six occasions. The team’s worst finish in these 21 tournaments was Plate Winners (5th) Medallist at three Commonwealth games in 1998, 2002 and 2006 Captained Fiji in the 2001 World Games in Japan, where they won gold, and coached Fiji to gold in the 2005 World Games in Germany

Awards and records – Player of the Tournament at the Hong Kong 7s in 1989, 1990 and 1998 – Top Scorer 117 points (nine tries) at RWC Sevens 1997 – First Fiji professional player to be contracted to play in Europe – Inducted into the Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee Hall of Fame in 2005 – Serevi’s try against Australia in the final of Brisbane Sevens was voted the “Try of the Year” at the Fiji Rugby Awards in 2000 – Awarded a Sports Science Honorary Doctorate (PhD) by Leeds Metropolitan University in England – Inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame at the Hong Kong Sevens in March 2013

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What he said... “God ggave me the ggifts.” f “II dis discovered overed rugby at sschool hool when I was 10 10, and the passion for it has never left me... It is more than a profession me profession, it is a joy joy. I love playing rugby rugby.” “When players arrive at trainingg I tell them to set themselves ggoals. When you train wellll ttoday, thatt llevell you jjustt achieved; d you jjustt cannott restt on th hi d ttomorrow when h you come back you aim for the next level; you build up your training training. So the next training you get better, say on Tuesday, then better on Wednesday, and so on. At the end off the week ffor ggame dayy yyou are therefore f at yyour highest g level off the week.” time, jjustt wanted Butt iin 1996 R Rupenii “I was jjustt a player l ffor a llong ti t d tto play. l B Ravonu, the national coach Ravonu coach, gave me the captaincy of Fiji team team. That That’ss when I learnt to lead. So when you lead, you have to lead every step of the way. way.” “W “What I always tell the players is, we are not here (with the Fiji team) for you or for me, we are hhere ffor th the people l we represent.” t “The ffirst time I went to H Hongg K Kong, that when g, it was such an amazingg experience p I came back I thought g I’d work hard to make the team everyy yyear. It’s the best 7s tournament in the world and it’s difficult to compare it with any other tournament.t special, so unique unique.” The atmosphere there is so special “In that ffirst yyear (in Hongg Kong), g , I wanted to ggo out onto the ffield and enjoy j y myself, y f, especially p y pplaying y g against g the bigg teams and famous opponents like Brooke, Gallagher g and Wright g from New Zealand. I had seen video tapes p off these pplayers y and d read d about b t th them.”” On his first match against Australia in Hong Kong, which Fiji won 28 28-44 in 1992: “II remember one superb semi-final (in Hongg Kong) p f g when we pplayed y Australia who had brought g their topp pplayy ers; Timmy Horan, Jason Little ... Campo. We won. I scored some tries.” On scoring a try against Australia in Hong Kong: “For For one try try, I went back to pick up a loose ball, jogged slowly and all of sudden I side side-stepped stepped my way to the try line to score under the pposts. I made Tim Horan ffall over! I’m still lookingg ffor the video off that ggame to keepp as a souvenir.” Then of course the World Cup Sevens in 1997 is one of my best memories “Then memories, it was the first j , and we ffaced these bigg gguns ffrom South Africa f World Cupp win ffor Fiji, in the ffinal like J Joost van der Westhuizen and Andre J Joubert.” now, still the best in the world world, only the rugby On the Hong Kong Sevens: “The The atmosphere and everything is still the same now keeps improving. The competition is getting stronger every year” improving year On who his best teammate was: “Without a doubt that would be Jope Tuikabe, who used to read the ggame so well. For all those years th thatt we played the fi field. He hheld the fforwards th l d ttogether th hhe really ll did a good d jjob b on th ld H ld th d ttogether th whilst hil t I llooked kd backs. He helped to balance the flow of the game from the forwards to the backline backline.” after the backs

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What they said Fiji forward Ilaitia Savai in 1991: “He is only a boy now, but he will grow to be one of Fiji’s greats... Keep an eye on him!” New Zealand Sevens legend Eric Rush: “At times when we played Fiji, the things Serevi did on the field made me want to turn around and clap.” Australia Sevens coach Glen Ella (after Serevi had taken on and beaten the whole Australian team after the hooter to score the winning try at the 2000 Brisbane Sevens):”He’s a freak. That’s all I can say.” David Campese (former Australia great): “He is a very, very good player and a great person who has been at the forefront of 7s in Fiji and should be remembered as one of the greatest players of the 7s code.”

my department.” He then underlined the word “forwards” to emphasise his point. Everyone looked on, so focused and eager. Then he began... “Julian (Vulakoro), I want you to do a lot of scissors with Waisale (Serevi)...” Bill Gadolo, Suva Serevi is real a role model for our youth. His achievement reflects his commitment, perseverance and passion for his country. Paula Biu, Nadroga Rugby Union Congratulations and much love to my idol, team-mate, on-tour roomie, friend and hero, Waisale ‘Small’ Serevi. Nicky ‘Lailai’ Little, Kent, England Awesome job getting into the IRB hall of Fame, Waisale. You are the only player in Fiji to receive that honour and have done your country and especially your family proud. You are an idol that all kids and current Fiji players around the world look up too. You have had struggles through life and have never let that keep you down. Mosese Rauluni, Brisbane, Australia

Fiji coach Wayne Pivac at RWC Sevens 2005: “Waisale is the eyes for the other guys... he brings the others into the game and puts players into gaps.”

Thank you, Small, for all you have done for Fiji rugby. It was a pleasure to play in the same Fiji team as you and to represent our lovely country, Fiji. Joe Veitayaki, Whangarei, New Zealand

Serevi Tributes

Waisale Serevi, you are an inspiration to all. Your dedication is exemplary and the contributions you have made to all teams you have played in or worked with have been invaluable. Vereniki Goneva, Leicester, England

Now and again, talented players surface and some say that Fiji has found another Serevi; but I totally disagree because there will only be one and you are a very special gift from God for this nation. Two of the greatest things you taught me are: (i) to acknowledge God, (ii) to acknowledge my family. Manasa Bari, Tavua Every time I see Serevi, we say “Dua na siga” (one day). Long after I retired from playing rugby, we met when he was still playing in France. He said hey, “Dua na siga daru qai gunu yaqona mada.” (One day we should drink grog). We exchanged phone numbers so we could call each other but nothing happened. Till today when we talk on the phone or chat on the mail, we always say the words, “Dua na siga.” I still look forward to the day when we can sit down together and drink some yaqona, and Dua na siga we will have that kava session. Epeli Naituivau, California, USA Serevi is the reason why a lot of us play the game. Josh Matavesi, Worcester, England One memorable moment was when Suva were about to challenge Nadro in 2005. We had Sitiveni Rabuka talk to the team before we left to wrestle the Farebrother from Nadro. My kai Belasio Vukiwai was one of those that spoke... he wrote on the whiteboard the word “forwards” and said “I will only talk to the forwards because that is

This is a massive achievement not only for Serevi but also for Fiji rugby as a whole; although I think he should have been inducted a long time ago! Wame Lewaravu, Mont-de-Marsan, France It’s been great to have been able to see you lift RWC Sevens Trophies as well as Sevens World Series Trophies over the (many!) years that I have been involved with rugby. Beth Coalter, Director, IRB 7s Series On behalf of the RFU and England 7s, a huge congratulations to Wise and the great honour of being inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame. Still the name synonymous with 7s, we really have yet to see another player of his kind in the world of 7s. Such an icon of the game. Ben Ryan, London Serevi single handedly put Fiji rugby and Fiji as a nation on the world map. His naturally gifted talent, flair and, most importantly, hard work have given inspiration for the young children of Fiji. Deacon Manu, Cardiff, Wales

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Congrats! Tamai Una, for a milestone achieved, you have mesmerized everyone by casting another magic spell on the ground in Hong Kong! Eddie Waqa, Director Sevens TRU Truly deserved and an amazing feat for a rugby player from such a small rugby playing nation. Serevi is a true inspiration to Fijians and all Pacific Islanders and this shows that anything is possible through hard work and dedication. Waisake Sotutu, Auckland It’s an honour well deserved, mate. Your level of professionalism and attitude to training is something I still remember. I recall too watching you play basketball when we trained in a camp prior to departure for 1999 RWC. You were absolutely terrible! Mark Harvey, Auckland, New Zealand I will never forget Serevi’s words of encouragement to me when I was growing as a young rugby player. He is part of the reason I am here today. In terms of Fiji rugby players securing contracts overseas he played a big part. Julian Vulakoro, Marseille, France Serevi is a true Fijian to the bone. His rise to stardom began as a skinny teenager back in 1988 when he played for Fiji in the AGC Rugby Series, going in as fullback against Wellington, replacing the injured Jone Kubu. I covered that game as a reporter for the Fiji Times. Just when things looked dim for Fiji and the wooden spoon was beckoning, Serevi struck. Collecting a high ball inside the Fiji 22, Serevi dazzled the Wellington defence with his footwork, jinks and goose-step, then dived over the line for the winning try. Up on the stand, an old fan jumped with joy and died in the process as he landed. Iliesa Tora, Nuku’alofa, Tonga Serevi, you are a true icon of not just Fijian rugby, but Pacific Island rugby. You changed the face of rugby 7s. Peter Rees, Rugby Journalist, Auckland I met Serevi for the first time in France, before one of Fiji’s matches in the 1991 RWC. I was covering the French pool for The London Times and somehow managed to arrive just before one of Fiji’s training sessions, as the team was descending from the bus. This was the second RWC, a fully amateur tournament, with the players and the media still companions, if not really friends and team coaches and managers not yet contaminated by the paranoid virus that led to the current restrictive media regulations. We could talk, watch the training session and event return to the team hotel with the team bus, if the manager said it was OK. My old friend Ilaitia Savai, whom I had befriended during the 1987 RWC tournament in New Zealand, wanted to introduce me to this shy and handsome youngster, parading a fresh haircut. “He is Serevi and will be a great

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player” said the giant forward.” Look after him” he added as an afterthought. As I was a keen Sevens follower, believing greatly in the old adagio, that sevens was the play in which talent will show no matter where and when, I kept bumping into Serevi in various places around the world. I remember meeting him at tournaments around the world, from Hong Kong to Singapore and from Melrose to Punta del Este - the latter where I had the privilege to be invited by him to share the “kava” with the Fijian team after the first day of matches, a great honour indeed. Those were the days when Serevi was crafting a name for himself on the sevens circuit, as the undisputed king of the short game. Then we met in the first RWC Sevens in 1993 in Edinburgh, and again in Hong Kong in 1997, when Fiji stunned South Africa and the world to win the Melrose Cup. By that time I was the RWC Press Officer (they call it nowadays the Head of Communications) and had to make sure that Serevi was fairly shared by the quotes-hungry cohorts of journalists. We kept bumping into each other at various sevens tournaments from Spain to Malaysia and from Japan to France and then in Argentina at the 2001 RWC Sevens in Mar del Plata.Then the master did it again at his favourite venue in Hong Kong, where Fiji were crowned World Sevens Champions for the second time in 2005. What a moment, this time shared with his young son, bewildered by the razzmatazz. By this time we had became really good friends and a few months later I interviewed him somewhere in a flat in Aldershot for the documentary “The magnificent Sevens” - the history of the sevens game, which I produced for the IRB. And then we met again and again, until one day he left the sevens scene and I read that he had settled in the US to share his phenomenal genius and charisma with the aspiring rugby players of Americas. I managed to contact him as he became an obvious choice for induction into the IRB Hall of Fame and he helped me, kind and generous with his time, to compile his profile for the Hall of Fame website. Mind you, the input of my old friend Jeremy Duxbury, was phenomenal. He was the first to know that Serevi was due for induction and his reaction says it all: “It was just about bloody time he was recognised.” Chris Thau, Secretary of the IRB Hall of Fame Induction Panel

Helping Fiji

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Dere does it again... The naysayers were out in force when Alifereti Dere named his Digicel Fiji 7s squad in March to defend the Hong Kong title Fiji claimed so emphatically last year. ‘Too inexperienced’, ‘Not enough speed’, were some of the comments spouted by those sitting in front of their TV sets. But Dere proved them all wrong. Dere, who becomes the first person to defend successfully the Hong Kong 7s title both as a skipper and a coach, deserves every bit of adulation for this most recent win given that he had lost so many key players in the weeks leading up to the tournament. The success of last year’s magnificent team that he had assembled meant that many of them ended up with professional clubs overseas – Metuisela Talebula, Nikola Matawalu, Waisea Nayacalevu, Jim Naikadawa and Joeli Lutumailagi all won good contracts. And of the core players that he was left with, bulldozing forward Lepani Botia and skipper Setefano Cakau picked up injuries while playmaker Joji Ragamate had work commitments as a prison warden. So Dere was basically forced to take a squad with very little experience. Of

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the 12-member squad, only Ilai Tinai, Osea Kolinisau and skipper Nemani Nagusa had played in Hong Kong before. None of the other nine players had played in more than three IRB 7s tournaments. Right coach Despite the critics, Dere proved that he is 100% the right man for this job. He has the playing and coaching experience, he has the mana, he has the respect of the players and assistant coaches, and once again he has shown that when is allowed to select his own squad he gets it right. On arrival in Hong Kong, the Fiji team enjoyed the addition of Tom Cama Senior as trainer and Waisale Serevi for technical support and motivation. What a great team these three men made – just like they did in 1990 when they combined with Mesake Rasari, Paulisai Tabulutu, Noa Nadruku and Vesi Rauluni to shock New Zealand 22-10 in the Cup Final. Serevi, in Hong Kong to be inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame, spoke to the players before each match, and Cama assisted from the bench. But let us not forget that Dere was the main man, the one choosing the team, setting the game plan, making the substitutions, and giving the half-time talk. A lesser man might have declined the offer of help from such famous names as Serevi and Cama in case they overshadowed him.

him himself mself pointed out. The mini-scare bbro ht th l bbackk tto earth th andd brought the players re reminded them of the importance of co concentration at all time against all op opponents.

B tD But Dere demonstrated d t t d hhe wasn’t’t iinterested t t d in egos, only in Fiji winning. A modest man, the former Test flanker hesitates when interviewed in English on television, and one sometimes wishes he would say what he wants to say in Fijian so that the fans back home could get to know him better. In Fiji’s six matches, they stuttered maybe twice – against Spain in the second pool match, and in the first half of the final against Wales. For the other four and a half matches, Fiji were in control and never looked like they were in danger of losing. The confidence from such a young side showed how well they had been prepared, both physically and mentally. Strong start Opening with a comprehensive 36-0 victory over hosts Hong Kong, Dere’s men set an early benchmark and sent out a warning to the other teams that looks and stats can be deceptive. And to show their own worth, Hong Kong later beat Argentina and the United States to reach the Bowl final. The momentary lapse against the Spanish probably wasn’t a bad thing for Fiji, as Dere

Ca Canada, a useful outfit with far more ex experience than Fiji, were dispatched with re relative ease, 26-5, to set up a quarter-final cclash with Michael O’Connor’s Australians. B By now, confidence was brimming and eeven the debutant players were fronting up fearless f to their opponents, winning five tries to one, 29-5, over the Australian team that had beaten them 21-12 a month earlier in Wellington. On this form, the only team that were going to stop Fiji from winning the Perpetual Cup were Fiji themselves. When Fiji play New Zealand at 7s, interest is always at a maximum. The Kiwis, and in particular Gordon Tietjens’ Kiwis, have so often been a thorn in Fiji’s side; outsmarting Fiji on too many occasions. So when the two rivals clash in the knockout stages of a tournament, it’s treated like a final. Beating New Zealand in the quarters or the semis can sometimes give the nation of Fiji a bigger high than winning the tournament itself. Fiji had a winning record against New Zealand in the 2011-12 Series, and they have one in the current Series too. And, satisfyingly, some of the recent wins over Tietjens’s men have been of large proportions. After seven minutes of their semi-final crunch match in Hong Kong, tries from Ben Lam and

Fiji-born Rocky Khan had given the All Blacks 7s a 14-0 advantage. But Fiji hadn’t really had the ball. With the last play of the half, however, Tinai pulled one back under the posts to cut the gap to seven points. Trailing 7-14, Dere called his men in tight at half-time, urging them to keep calm and believe. And the second half became a whitewash, 26-0 in Fiji’s favour as a try in the corner from star wing Samisoni Viriviri was followed by a brace from the rapidly improving Jasa Veremalua, who has quickly become a very important member of the team. Ulaiyasi Lawavou’s last-minute score made it 33-14. The New Zealanders stunned, the Fijians were ecstatic, and coach Dere was grinning. Early celebrations In the past, when Fiji get past the Kiwis in the semi-finals of a tournament, they have quite often exhaled too much and slipped up in the final. And so it proved last month against Wales. Well, nearly. Giving the Welsh a 19-0 lead wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but Fiji were pedestrian and Wales were in the driving seat, targeting their first-ever IRB 7s Series tournament win. It could have been worse… Tinai was very fortunate only to receive a yellow card for his tip tackle on Lee Williams, else it would have been curtains for the other six players on the field with 15 minutes still to play.

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Fiji have suffered too many red cards in 7s finals over the years – Marika Vunibaka against New Zealand in Tokyo 1998, Vilimoni Delasau and Sami Saumaisue against New Zealand in Dubai 1999, Rupeni Caucau against Australia in Wellington 2001, Saiasi Fuli against New Zealand in Manchester 2002. Fiji lost all those games. The incident with Tinai prompted top Welsh referee Hugh Watkins to tweet “Sorry that’s a shocker. Had to be red no other option. We need referees to be consistent in this.” The tweet in itself was a breach of the IRB Code of Conduct, one referee publicly criticising another’s decisions. Happily, the IRB showed a bit of consistency of their own and banned Watkins for 12

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w weeks, whilst fans on the Teivovo Facebook th ppage pointed out that itit’s about time the sshoe was on the other foot after decades of fo injustices against Fijians. We digress. Fiji were trailing 0-19 at halftime, and Dere had just sent Kolinisau into the field of play. The ginger-haired lad from Namuka-i-Lau had been given two yellow cards of his own in pool play so had been rested, as well as chastised by supporters back home. So following a script that could hardly have been written more aptly, Kolinisau promptly scored a hat-trick of tries, mostly self-made, to deny Wales what would have been a famous victory. Viriviri added one more to his total and Fiji won 26-19, taking the second half 26-0 just as they had in the semi-final against the All Blacks 7s.

What a team, what a coach, and what a comeback! With his eyes swelling up with tears, Dere thanked everyone back home, especially the children on Palm Sunday, and of course Fiji Airways’ new plane! This victory in Hong Kong shows that Fiji can go to Moscow next month with a very realistic chance of challenging for the Melrose Cup. The core of this squad – Nagusa, Nakarawa, Veremalua, Tinai and Viriviri – will be joined by Cakau, Botia and Ragamate to make an impressive, all-local team. And if Dere is successful in bringing in the match-winners that are Talebula and Nayacalevu, then Fiji has the right players and right coaching staff (with Cama and hopefully Serevi) to do the job. Then it will be a matter of doing the right preparation. – Jeremy Duxbury

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Digicel Fiji Player Performance Ratings - By Culden Kamea In deciding these player ratings, I am aware that 75% of our the squad were making their debut in the world’s biggest rugby 7s tournament and only two players – skipper Nemani Nagusa and Ilai Tinai – remained from Fiji’s 2012 winning team. The players are listed below by their playing jersey numbers. Players who mainly came off the as replacement are rated 5/10 because of minimum game time.

Ulaiyasi Lawavou - Forward

Osea Kolinisau – Rover / Wing • In his comeback tournament, Kolinisau was maybe guilty of trying too hard – committing silly errors that resulted in two yellow cards. • Maybe the responsibility of vice-captain weighed too heavily. • Still, he did what he does best in the ﬁnal – run straight and hard at the defence for his three tries. Redemption.

• Lawavou had few chances, coming on mainly as a replacement. • Scored two tries: versus Spain in pool play and Fiji’s last try against New Zealand in the semi-ﬁnal.

Rating : 5/10

Rating : 6/10

Jone Vota - Forward • Vota made an impact whenever he came on as a replacement. • Scored a great 60-metre solo try versus Australia in the quarter-ﬁnal. • Scrambled well in defence.

• Viriviri showed great pace and finishing to be the Top Try Scorer at the 2013 Hong Kong 7s with eight – including game-turning tries either side of half-time against New Zealand. • Stood up when it counted in the big games – also scored a try each against Australia in the quarters and against Wales in the final. • Worked hard off the ball in defence and this stamped him as Fiji’s best player in Hong Kong. • In the mould of Tomasi Cama Senior, not the fastest wing in Fiji, but showed great fitness and quick recovery to score some great tries. • To cap off a great tournament, also won the Best & Fairest Player Award in Hong Kong 2013.

Rating : 5/10

Nemani Nagusa (capt) – Prop • Nagusa started every game for Fiji. • Solid all-round performance was highlighted by strong scrummaging and tackling. • Bumped off his opposing captain, DJ Forbes, in the semi-final against New Zealand to claim the title of new tough guy on the block. • Scored a good try from a Ratubuli offload versus Australia in the quarter-final. • Only blemish was a careless late tackle after the whistle against Spain, which cost Fiji a penalty.

Rating : 8/10

Rating : 6/10

Ilai Tinai – Stand-off / Halfback • Overall, Tinai played with more maturity at the 2013 Hong Kong 7s. • Scored 40 points in total, with two tries versus Hong Kong; the second a gem created by a neat little side-step and sharp acceleration from halfway. • Against Spain, scored a brilliant length-of-the-field try, which he also converted. • But in this game, he also showed a lack of concentration on a couple of kick-offs, putting the ball into touch on the full. • Kicked two conversions versus Australia and three more versus New Zealand in the semi-final. • While brilliant on attack, needs to work on his tackling technique. Very lucky not to get a red card in the final versus Wales, and that could have cost Fiji the title.

Rating : 7/10

Rating : 9/10 – FijiÊs best player

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Jasa Veremalua - Hooker • His “Red Rock super ﬁtness” made Veremalua very effective in support play, ranging out wide and taking his opportunities well to score some great tries. • Blessed with great pace for a forward, but for my money should always be paired with a ball-hunter to compliment his roving style. • Like Viriviri, he scored critical tries in the big games during the knock-out stages. • However, needs to work harder off the ball and contribute more in defence to become a truly great rugby 7s forward.

Sakiusa Gavidi - Halfback • Gavidi reconﬁrmed the advantage of having a specialist halfback. • While on debut in the biggest rugby 7s tournament in the world, acquitted himself well. • Scored a good try versus Australia, running hard at the defence with the ball in two hands to befuddle the defenders. • This experience will be good for his rugby development.

Samisoni Viriviri - Wing

Rating : 8/10

Leone Nakarawa – Prop • Nakarawa played the big forward’s role very well. • Charged forward strongly whenever he had the ball, forcing two or more defenders to stop him, thus freeing up support runners. • Was caught out of position in defence a couple of times. • A lesson learned from the great Fiji coach Tu Kiti Vesikula was how giant Mesake Rasari’s warm-up routine was very different to that of the other players in the team, which included Waisale Serevi, Cama Senior and captain Alifereti Dere. Big men need to be managed carefully to get the best out of them in ﬁve or six games in a rugby 7s tournament. • Coach Dere certainly achieved that with Nakarawa in Hong Kong, with some timely substitutions enabling the big man to contribute effectively throughout. • If he could shed a few kilos to sharpen his speed, Nakarawa would be even more valuable in 7s.

Rating : 8/10

10 Emosi Mulevoro – Stand-off

Hong Kong 7s Record

• Mulevoro had limited time on the ﬁeld in his debut. • Kicked well with six conversions in total, including an important three versus Wales in the Final.

Year 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997* 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005* 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Rating : 5/10

11 Donasio Ratubuli – Rover • Ratubuli has good balance, with a neat side-step and off-load in the tackle, always testing the opposition defence. • His good skills and lead-up work led directly to tries against Hong Kong and for Nagusa and Veremalua in the quarter-ﬁnal against Australia. • Given limited chances, he showed good potential and was probably Fiji’s best player off the bench.

Rating : 6/10

12 Benito Masilevu – Wing • Masilevu had some good, strong runs given limited chances off the bench. • Scored two good tries versus Hong Kong in the opening match.

Rating : 5/10

Winners Cantabrians Fiji Fiji Australia Fiji Barbarians Australia Australia Fiji Australia New Zealand New Zealand Australia New Zealand Fiji Fiji Fiji Samoa New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand Fiji Fiji Fiji New Zealand New Zealand England England England Fiji England Samoa New Zealand Fiji Samoa New Zealand Fiji Fiji

Score 24-8 28-18 14-10 39-3 12-8 12-10 18-14 14-4 26-0 24-10 32-12 12-6 13-12 22-10 22-10 18-14 22-6 14-12 32-20 35-17 19-17 24-21 28-19 21-12 31-5 29-5 33-20 22-17 22-12 29-19 26-24 27-22 26-12 26-24 24-21 29-17 35-28 26-19

Runners-up Wallaroos Marlborough Manawatu Samoa Co-Optimists Australia Scottish Borders Fiji New Zealand PS Wanderers French Baabaas Fiji New Zealand Australia New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand Fiji Australia Fiji Fiji South Africa Samoa New Zealand Fiji Fiji Fiji New Zealand Argentina New Zealand Fiji Fiji South Africa South Africa New Zealand England New Zealand Wales

Most Wins 12† 10 5

Fiji New Zealand Australia

4 3

England Samoa

* †

RWC 7s +2 RWC 7s

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Rugby 7s Revival Scoreboard & Stats

Australia 7s, Skilled Park, Gold Coast; 13-14 Oct 2012 Pool A S Africa 38 Canada 0, NZ 19 USA 7, S Africa 33 USA 5, NZ 28 Canada 21, USA 21 Canada 22, NZ 21 S Africa 31 Pool B Australia 31 Tonga 14, Fiji 31 Scotland 14, Fiji 35 Tonga 7, Australia 22 Scotland 0, Scotland 5 Tonga 24, Fiji 14 Australia 15

Pool C England 14 Kenya 14, Samoa 31 Spain 10, Samoa 14 Kenya 12, England 13 Spain 10, Kenya 26 Spain 12, England 17 Samoa 19 Pool D Wales 19 Portugal 12, Argentina 7 France 14, Wales 19 France 17, Argentina 26 Portugal 0, France 12 Portugal 5, Argentina 17 Wales 5. SHIELD Semis: USA 33 Tonga 26, Portugal 0 Scotland 33; Final: Scotland 40 USA 5. BOWL Quarters: Canada 31 Portugal 0, England 35 Scotland 7,

U Wales 27 United States 19, Tonga 7 Spain 24; Semis: Wales 17 Spain 26, Canada 19 England 24; Final: England 14 Spain 19. PLATE Semis: Argentina 17 Australia 14, France 21 Samoa 7; Final: France 7 Argentina 14. CUP Quarters: S Africa 26 France 14, Samoa 7 Fiji 19, Argentina 7 NZ 12, Australia 14 Kenya 21; Semis: S Africa 10 Fiji 21, NZ 15 Kenya 5, Final: Fiji 32 NZ 14. The 7s, Dubai, UAE; 30 Nov ~ 1 Dec 2012 Pool A Fiji 14 Spain 0, Kenya 12 Scotland 5, Fiji 22 Scotland 14, Kenya 10 Spain 7, Spain 12 Scotland 7, Fiji 14 Kenya 10

Pool B NZ 14 Wales 7, Argentina 17 Russia 10, NZ 31, Russia 14, Argentina 7, Wales 14, Wales 22 Russia 5, NZ 17 Argentina 7 Pool C S Africa 19 England 10, Samoa 24 Portugal 19, S Africa 1o Portugal 12, Samoa 17 England 19, England 21 Portugal 22, S Africa 5, Samoa 10 Pool D France 0 Canada 20, Australia 19 USA 12, France 17 USA 14, Australia 28 Canada 28,

Canada 26 USA 7, France 7 Australia 0 SHIELD Semis: Spain 26 Russia 24, Australia 12 England 40; Final: Spain 5 England 26 BOWL Quarters: Spain 12 USA 14. S Africa 25 Russia 12, Australia 14 Scotland 29, Argentina 24 England 14; Semis: USA 14 S Africa 22, Scotland 5 Argentina 12; Final: S Africa 19 Argentina 14 PLATE Semis: Canada 28 Portugal 12, Fiji 5 Wales 27, Final: Wales 21 Canada 14 CUP Quarters: Fiji 5 France 8, Samoa 19 Wales 7, Canada 7 Kenya 19, NZ 28 Portugal 7; Semis: France 5 Samoa 12, Kenya 7 NZ 27; Final: Samoa 26 NZ 15.

Fiji’s matches in Australia (Skilled Park, Gold Coast, 13-14 October 2012) Stage Pool B Pool B Pool B Cup QF Cup SF Cup F

Opponents Scotland Tonga Australia Samoa S Africa NZ

Result W 31-14 W 35-7 L 14-15 W 19-7 W 21-10 W 32-14

H-t (19-7) (21-0) (7-10) (12-0) (14-7) (17-7)

Tries Kolinisau, Raitini, Domolailai, Raqamate, Saqiwa Raqamate, Tinai, Lawavou, Botia, Viriviri Raqamate, Raitini Raqamate, Raitini Raqamate, Lawavou, Tinai Raitini (3), Raqamate, Tinai, Botia

Cons Raqamate (2), Tinai Raqamate (3), Tinai (2) Raqamate (2) Raqamate, Tinai Raqamate (3) Raqamate

Referee M O’Brien (Aus) F Anselmi (Arg) R Rasivhenge (RSA) F Anselmi (Arg) F Anselmi (Arg) F Anselmi (Arg)

Cons Raqamate (2) Raqamate Raqamate (2)

Referee R Thomas (Wal) M O’Brien (Aus) D Keane (Ire) A Moyes (Aus) D Keane (Ire)

Fiji’s Matches in Dubai (The Sevens, Dubai, 30 Nov – 1 December 2012) Stage Pool A Pool A Pool A Cup QF Plate SF

Opponents Spain Scotland Kenya France Wales

Result W 14-0 W 22-14 W 14-10 L 5-8 L 5-27

H-t (14-0) (17-0) (7-0) (0-5) (10-17)

Tries Cakau, Bula Stewart, Sokiveta, Botia, Cakau Raqamate, Vuruna Vaciloa Raqamate

Fiji’s Matches in South Africa (Port Elizabeth Bay Stadium, Post Elizabeth, 8-9 December 2012) Stage Pool B Pool B Pool B Cup QF Plate SF Plate F

Opponents England Scotland NZ Argentina Portugal Wales

Result W 29-19 L 19-21 W 24-12 L 12-15 W 26-12 L 14-26

H-t (17-7) (7-14) (7-12) (0-12) (14-0) (7-7)

Tries Cakau (2), Tinai, Bula, Sokiveta Raqamate (2), Pen try Botia, Tukere, Tinai, Stewart Raqamate, Cakau Tinai, Raqamate, Vaciloa, Botia Tube, Sokiveta

Cons Raqamate (2) Raqamate (2) Raqamate (2) Raqamate Tinai (2), Raqamate Tinai (2)

Referee D Keane (Ire) R Thomas (Wal) R Rasivhenge (Rsa) M O’Brien (Aus) A Moyes (Aus) F Anselmi (Arg)

Cons Raqamate Tinai Raqamate (2) Raqamate (2) Raqamate (2) Tinai, Raqamate

Referee A Ruiz (Fra) J McPhail (NZ) M O’Brien (Aus) B Arciero (Can) J McPhail (NZ) J McPhail (NZ)

Cons Raqamate (3) Raqamate (2) Raqamate (2), Tinai Raqamate (2), Tinai Raqamate (2), Tinai

Referee R Rasivhenge (RSA) A Ruiz (Fra) A Moyes (Aus) J McPhail (NZ) F Anselmi (Arg)

Cons Tinai (2) Tinai Tinai (2), Mulevoro Tinai (2) Tinai (3), Mulevoro (2) Mulevoro (3)

Referee I Tempest (Eng) M VD Westhuizen (RSA) I Tempest (Eng) M VD Westhuizen (RSA) A Moyes (AUS) M VD Westhuizen (RSA)

Fiji’s Matches in New Zealand (Westpac Stadium, Wellington, 1-2 February 2013) Stage Pool D Pool D Pool D Bowl QF Bowl SF Bowl F

Opponents Scotland Australia Portugal USA France Canada

Result L 12-14 L 12-21 W 24-7 W 29-12 W 19-17 L 19-28

H-t (7-7) (5-14) (12-7) (17-7) (7-12) (14-21)

Tries Lagai, Viriviri Raqamate, Lawavou Cakau (2), Tinai, Viriviri Raqamate, Tinai, Nagusa, Vota, Cakau Raqamate (2), Masilevu Tinai (2), Raqamate

Fiji’s Matches in Las Vegas (Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, 8-10 February 2013) Stage Pool A Pool A Pool A Cup QF Cup SF

Opponents England Scotland Portugal USA NZ

Result W 26-17 W 14-12 W 21-14 W 21-19 L 14-19*

H-t (21-5) (14-7) (21-7) (7-7) (0-14)

Tries Viriviri (2), Masilevu, Cakau Tinai, Viriviri Raqamate, Nagusa, Viriviri Tinai, Veremalua, Vota Veremalua, Viriviri

Fiji’s Matches in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong, 22-24 March 2013) Stage Pool D Pool D Pool D Cup QF Cup SF Cup F

Opponents Hong Kong Spain Canada Australia NZ Wales

Result W 36-0 W 22-12 W 26-5 W 29-5 W 33-14 W 26-19

H-t (12-5) (12-5) (14-0) (17-0) (7-14) (19-0)

Tries Tinai (2), Masilvu (2), Viriviri (2) Tinai, Lawavou, Viriviri, Veremalua Tinai, Viriviri, Veremalua, Lawavou Viriviri , Veremalua, Vota, Nagusa, Gavidi Veremalua (2), Viriviri (2), Lawavou Kolinisau (3), Viriviri

Fiji’s Matches in Japan (Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo, 30-31 March 2013) Stage Pool A Pool A Pool A

Opponents S Africa Spain Portugal

Cup QF Australia Plate SF USA

Result H-t W 29-12 (12-5) W 17-5 (12-0) W 34-7 (17-7) L 12-21 (7-7) L 19-21 (19-7)

JUNE 2013

JUN E 2013

Tries Viriviri (2), Veremalua, Gavidi, Masilevu Vota, Masilevu, Viriviri Masilevu (2), Viriviri, Veremalua, Kolinisau, Naturaga, Nakarawa Mulevoro, Masilevu Gavidi, Kolinisau, Nakarawa

Cons Mulevoro (2) Mulevoro Mulevoro

Referee A Moyes (Aus) R Thomas (Wal) R Thomas (Wal)

Mulevoro Mulevoro (2)

M VD Westhuizen (RSA) R Rasivhenge (RSA)

S Africa 7s, Port Elizabeth Stadium, 8-9 Dec 2012 Pool A France 31 Australia 5, Samoa 7 S Africa 29, France 5 S Africa 12, Samoa 7 Australia 26, S Africa 17 Australia 7, Samoa 12 France 7 Pool B Fiji 29 England 19, NZ 14 Scotland 7, Fiji 19 Scotland 21, NZ 24 England 7, Scotland 12 England 33, NZ 12 Fiji 24 Pool C Wales 12 Spain 5, Kenya 21 Argentina 17, Wales 7 Argentina 12, Kenya 26 Spain 14, Argentina 21 Spain 14, Kenya 14 Wales 33 Pool D Canada 26 Zimbabwe 0, Portugal 26 USA 12, Canada 12 USA 26, Portugal 17 Zimbabwe 12, USA 21 Zimbabwe 17, Portugal 28 Canada 7 SHIELD Semi: Zimbabwe 21 Scotland 14, Canada 12 Spain 29; Final: Zimbabwe 0 Spain 33 BOWL Quarters: Australia 24 Zimbabwe 14. Kenya 19 Scotland 17, Canada 21 Samoa 36, England 14 Spain 7; Semis: Samoa 15 England Top points scorers Nathan Hirayama Joji Raqamate Dan Norton Tomasi Cama Christian -Pratt Cornal Hendricks Pedro Martin Sean Duke Lewis Holland Rhys Jones Marcus Watson Paul Albaladejo

2012-13 CAN 206 FIJ 192 ENG 189 NZL 184 ENG 171 RSA 160 ESP 155 CAN 150 AUS 146 WAL 140 ENG 135 FRA 134

Top try scorers 2012-13 Dan Norton ENG Cornal Hendricks RSA Sean Duke CAN Pedro Martin ESP Lewis Holland AUS Samisoni Viriviri FIJ Julien Candelon FRA Marcus Watson ENG Ben Lam NZL Joji Raqamate FIJ Tim Mikkelson NZL

37 32 30 23 22 22 21 21 20 20 19

__________________________ Top points scorers Tomasi Cama Metuisela Talebula Colin Gregor Mat Turner Dan Norton Branco du Preez Tom Iosefo Paul Albaladejo Tom Mitchell Frank Halai

2011-12 NZL 390 FIJ 271 SCO 242 ENG 194 ENG 191 RSA 175 SAM 167 FRA 159 ENG 154 NZL 150

Top try scorers 2011-12 Mat Turner ENG Dan Norton ENG Tomasi Cama NZL Tom Iosefo SAM Frank Halai NZL James Fleming SCO Joeli Lutumailagi FIJ Paul Perez SAM Richard Smith WAL Metuisela Talebula FIJ Waisea Nayacalevu FIJ

38 37 34 33 30 29 28 27 26 25 25

Rugby 7s Revival 12, Australia 24 Kenya 21; Final: Australia 26 Samoa 14 PLATE Semis: Portugal 12 Fiji 26, USA 19 Wales 26; Final: Wales 26 Fiji 14 CUP Quarters: S Africa 17 USA 7, Wales 5 NZ 35, Portugal 7 France 10, Fiji 12 Argentina 15; Semis: S Africa 5 NZ 12, France 10 Argentina 7; Final: NZ 47 France 12.

SHIELD Semis: USA 15 Wales 17, Portugal 7 Tonga 17; Final: Tonga 21 Wales 26 BOWL Quarters: France 33 Wales 12, Fiji 29 USA 12, Canada 28 Tonga 5, Spain 26 Portugal 19; Semis: Spain 7 Canada 31, Fiji 19 France 17; Final: Canada 28 Fiji 19 PLATE Semis: Scotland 35 Argentina 5, Australia 28 S Africa 12; Final: Scotland 7 Australia 22 CUP Quarters: England 33 Wales 12, Samoa 31 Argentina 7, Australia 5 NZ 24, Kenya 21 S Africa 20; Semis: England 21 Samoa 19, NZ 14 Kenya 19; Final: England 24 Kenya 19.

NZ 7s, Westpac Stadium, Wellington, 1-2 Feb 2013 Pool A NZ 14 England 19, USA 5 Spain 10, NZ 36 Spain 5, USA 12 England 12, England 28 Spain 5, NZ 17 USA 10 Pool B France 12 Kenya 24, Argentina 21 Tonga12, France 33 Tonga 7, Argentina 0 Kenya 12, Kenya 17 Tonga 10, France 14 Argentina 17 Pool C S Africa 10 Samoa 19, S Africa 15 Canada 26, Wales 12 Samoa 19, Samoa 26 Canada 12, S Africa 21 Wales 0 Pool D Portugal 5 Australia 24, Fiji 12 Scotland 14, Portugal 17 Scotland 19, Fiji 12 Australia 21, Australia 29 Scotland 5, Portugal 7 Fiji 24

Las Vegas 7s, Sam Boyd Stadium, 8-10 Feb 2013 Pool A England 17 fiji 26, Scotland 12 Portugal 10, England 5 Portugal 21, Scotland 12 Fiji 14, Fiji 21 Portugal 14, England 0 Scotland 14 Pool B Kenya 12 Canada 19, S Africa 45 Uruguay 0, Kenya 12 Uruguay 7, S Africa 17 Canada 5, Canada 36 Uruguay 0,

Notes from 2011-12 HSBC Series

Kenya 5 S Africa 15 Pool C Argentina 7 Wales 17, NZ 21 France 0, Argentina14, France 12, NZ 40 Wales 5, France 14 Wales 17, NZ 17 Argentina 5 Pool D Australia 26 USA 7, Samoa 19 Spain 12, Samoa 12 USA 7, Australia 14 Spain 24, Samoa 28 Australia 7, Spain 7 USA 22 SHIELD Semis: Portugal 5 Uruguay 7, Australia 38 Kenya 7; Final: Uruguay 0 Australia 14 BOWL Quarters: Portugal 0 Spain 12, Argentina 24 Uruguay 0, Australia 21 England 26, Kenya 17 France 21; Semis: Spain 12 Argentina 21, England 7 France 40; Final: Argentina 12 France 17 PLATE Semis: USA 19 Canada 24, Scotland 35 Wales 14; Final: Canada 22 Scotland 5 CUP Quarters: Fiji 21 USA 19, New Zealand 17 Canada 0, Samoa 12 Scotland 5, S Africa 26 Wales 0; Semis: Fiji 14 NZ 19; Samoa 7 S Africa 12; Final: NZ 21 S Africa 40.

Hong Kong 7s, Hong Kong Stadium, 22-24 March 2013 Pool A Wales 19 Australia 14, S

Digicel Fiji 7s to Gold Coast: L Botia (capt), U Lawavou, A Domolailai, M Lagai, S Saqiwa, J Raqamate, A Raitini, I Tinai, O Kolinisau, S Viriviri, Leone Ravuetaki, A Waqatabu. Management: S Rogoyawa (manager), E Waqa (coach), W Koong (physio). Digicel Fiji 7s to Dubai & S Africa: S Cakau (capt), L Botia, I Tukere, I Vuruna,

I Tinai, G Tube, J Raqamate, M Bula, J Stewart, P Vaciloa, V Sokiveta, P Maka. Management: S Rogoyawa (mgr), A Dere (coach), W Koong (physio).

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

NZ . . . . . . . Fiji . . . . . . . England. . . Samoa . . . S Africa . . . Australia . . Argentina .

AU 19 22 10 12 17 15 8

DU 10 17 22 3 12 13 15

SA 22 12 15 17 19 10 5

NZ 22 19 17 15 13 7 5

US HK JP SC EN 19 19 17 22 17 17 22 13 17 22 10 15 15 19 12 22 13 19 13 19 15 17 12 10 10 7 10 22 15 13 12 12 10 10 15

Ttl 167 161 135 133 125 11 2 92

Digicel Fiji 7s to Wellington & Las Vegas: S Cakau (capt), N Nagusa, U Lawavou,

M Lagai, J Vota, J Raqamate, I Tinai, J Tuisova (P Ravai), J Veremalua, M Nayagi, B Masilevu, S Viriviri. Management: S Rogoyawa (mgr), T Wainiqolo (coach), W Koong (physio). Digicel Fiji 7s to Hong Kong & Tokyo: N Nagusa (capt), U Lawavou, J Vota, S

Gavidi, I Tinai, O Kolinisau, S Viriviri, J Veremalua, L Nakarawa, E Mulevoro, D Ratubuli, B Masilevu. Management: S Rogoyawa (mgr), A Dere (coach), W Koong (physio).

Africa 0 Argentina 21, Wales 19 Argentina 14, S Africa 12 Australia 21, Argentina 5 Australia 12, S Africa 31 Wales 0 Pool B USA 14 Kenya 17, NZ 33 France 12, USA 19 France 21, NZ 31 Kenya 7, France 17 Kenya 19, NZ 24 USA 12 Pool C Scotland 21 Portugal 27, Samoa 28 England 7, Scotland 14 England 5, Samoa 10 Portugal 14, England 22 Portugal 7, Samoa 12 Scotland 12 Pool D Fiji 36 HK 0, Canada 31 Spain 7, Fiji 22 Spain 12, Canada 14 HK 12, Spain 28 HK 14, Canada 5 Fiji 26 SHIELD Semis: Spain 0 France 28, Argentina 12 Scotland 7; Final: Argentina 14 France 19 BOWL Quarters: Argentina 5 HK 7, Scotland 12 USA 21, Spain 14 S Africa 28, France 7 England 42; Semis: HK 20 USA 12, S

Fiji’s Head to Head vs core teams 2011-12 Played Won Lost Pts For Pts Agst 7 7 0 205 68 3 3 0 91 31 England 6 2 4 89 101 France 2 2 0 43 12 Kenya 1 1 0 26 7 New Zealand 5 3 2 104 99 Samoa 6 4 2 164 82 USA 1 1 0 33 19 South Africa 4 4 0 80 35 Wales 6 5 1 136 84

In the 2011-12 Series, Fiji had a winning record against all Opponents core teams except England. Though England didn’t win Argentina any of the tournaments, they proved to be Fiji’s nemesis. Australia HSBC 7s Series 2011-12 Final Standings

Africa 14 England 26; Final: HK 7 England 42 PLATE Semis: Canada 19 Portugal 14, Australia 5 Samoa 12; Final Canada 7 Samoa 12 CUP Quarters: Wales 28 Canada 14, Portugal 12 Kenya 15, Fiji 29 Australia 5, NZ 21 Samoa 14; Semis: Wales 19 Kenya 0, Fiji 33 NZ 14; Final: Wales 19 Fiji 26.

Japan 7s, Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo 30-31 March 2013 Pool A Fiji 29 S Africa 12, Portugal 14 Spain 17, Fiji 17 Spain 5, Portugal 0 S Africa 12, Fiji 34 Portugal 7, S Africa 42, Spain 7 Pool B Wales 22 USA 24, Kenya 0 Scotland 12, Wales 10 Scotland 12, Kenya 21 USA

10, USA 12 Scotland 12, Wales 33 Kenya 15 Pool C NZ 26 France 7, Canada 10 Japan 14, NZ 41 Japan 5, Canada 22, France 19, NZ 22 Canada 12, France 24 Japan 7 Pool D Samoa 17 Argentina 14, Australia 31 Argentina 0, Samoa 31 England 0, Australia 14 Samoa 26, England 31 Argentina 7 SHIELD Semis: Spain 0 Canada 38, Portugal 15 Japan 19; Final: Canada 27 Japan 14 BOWL Quarters: Spain 0 Argentina 14, Canada 5 Kenya 17, England 40 Portugal 0, Wales 22 Japan 14; Semis: Argentina 12 Kenya 10, England 21 Wales 19; Final: Argentina 0 England 38 PLATE Semis: Fiji 19 USA 21, Samoa 17 Scotland 21; Final: USA 17 Scotland 0 CUP Quarters: Fiji 12 Australia 21, NZ 19 USA 12, Samoa 12 S Africa 19, Scotland 10 France 14; Semis: Australia 17 NZ 35, S Africa 14 France 12; Final: NZ 19 S Africa 24.

Fiji’s in HSBC 7s 2011-12: Played 54, Won 44, Lost 10, Tries 211, Cons 150, Pens 2, Pts For 1,361, Pts Agst 616

IRB/MARTIN SERAS LIMA

Referees for Fiji matches by Nationality 2011-12 Pool Knock-out Total Stage Stage

HSBC 7s World Series 2012-13 Standings after Glasgow 7s

AUS ..... NZ........ ENG..... RSA ..... ARG..... WAL ..... JPN...... FRA ..... SCO..... SAM..... IRE ......

7 1 3 5 5 1 2 0 1 1 1

Total .... 27

13 7 3 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0

20 8 6 6 5 3 2 1 1 1 1

Clean sheets kept: First half: 20 Second half: 21 Full match: 7

The 2012 Hong Kong Final ended a run of 19 consecutive Fiji matches in the knock-out stages ofﬁciated by Australian ans Kiwi refs. Coincidence? Well, after we posted those stats on the IRB 7s Facebook page, there was a sudden change in refs for Fiji’s important matches as French and English referees were then selected. Pictured is Australian Andrew Moyes, who has taken over from Andrew Lees as Fiji’s favourite ref. He and colleague Matt O’Brien ofﬁciated no fewer than 13 of Fiji’s 17 knock-out stage matches prior to the 2012 Hong Kong Final. In the 2010-11 Series, Lees reffed 10 of Fiji’s 20 knock-out matches. Failed to score: First half: Second half: Full match:

5 2 1

Matches won by conversions: Won by Fiji 3 Lost by Fiji 1

Matches gone to extra time: Won by Fiji 1 Lost by Fiji 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

NZ . . . . . . . S Africa . . . Fiji . . . . . . . Samoa . . . Kenya . . . . Wales . . . . France. . . . England. . . Argentina . Australia . . Canada . . . USA. . . . . . Scotland . . Portugal . . Spain. . . . . Hong Kong Russia. . . . Tonga . . . . 19 Japan . . . . Uruguay . . Zimbabwe

AU 19 17 22 10 15 5 12 7 13 10 5 2 3 1 8 0 0 1 0 0 0

DU 19 7 10 22 17 13 15 3 8 1 12 5 5 10 2 0 1 0 0 0 0

SA 22 17 12 7 5 13 19 5 15 8 1 10 1 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 2

NZ 17 10 7 15 19 3 5 22 10 13 8 1 12 1 5 0 0 2 0 0 0

US HK JP SC EN 19 17 19 19 0 22 5 22 22 0 15 22 10 10 0 17 13 10 5 0 1 15 5 7 0 10 19 5 15 0 8 3 15 3 0 5 8 8 17 0 7 2 7 12 0 3 10 17 8 0 13 12 3 10 0 10 5 13 13 0 12 1 12 5 0 1 10 1 1 0 5 1 1 1 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Ttl 151 122 108 99 84 83 80 75 74 70 64 59 51 35 26 7 3 3 2 2 2

All stats Courtesy HG Vision

JUNE 2013 JUNE 2013

37 37

The Uprising 7s was a great tournament and we were very pleased to reach the semi-finals. I’m glad that we played both Fiji teams even though we lost to one. The boys are disappointed but they’ve learned a lot this weekend and it’s been invaluable. The competition is tough and the organisation of the tournament is first class... plus we stayed at the Anchorage, state of the art, lovely place and were looked after very well. New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens.

ANZAC battle - Luke Masirewa charges ahead against the Aussies.

Event

management professionals say that if you can get through your third year in good shape, then you will have a valuable brand. Since the ﬁrst tournament in 2011, the Uprising 7s has continued to grow steadily to become a major international sporting event with a reputation for producing some of the best 7s rugby on the planet. In total contrast to last year’s Uprising 7s, which was played in probably Suva’s wettest week in over 100 years, the 2013 tournament was awash in bright sunshine in Lautoka with a packed crowd on all four sides of the ground; something only usually seen at the Marist 7s. And this despite a real scare just a month beforehand, when Cyclone Evan slammed into the Sugar City, damaging the main grandstand roof and other infrastructure. In addition to regulars Australia, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga national sides, January’s Uprising 7s for the ﬁrst time included Gordon Tietjens’ Emerging New Zealanders, an exciting array of Kiwi talent unearthed by the master coach. At the end of two days of intense 7s rugby, Fiji’s two shadow national teams – the Digicel Fiji Barbarians, coached by Timoci Wainiqolo, and the FMF Fiji Warriors, coached by Alifereti Dere, played off for the 2013 Uprising 7s Cup.

JUNE 2013

The Baabaas emerged as champions in a high scoring final 44-31, as the New Zealanders and 2012 champs Ministry of Health Wardens fell in the semis. But both finalists had suffered upset losses in the last two pool games on Day One – In the penultimate game on the Friday, the New Zealand Emerging 7s Team pipped the Warriors 21-17 at the buzzer, enabling the Kiwis to secure their Cup quarter-final spot.

Biggest upset The very next game saw the upset of the tournament when Etuwate Waqa’s TTC Tonga out-muscled the Digicel Fiji Barbarians 17-14 to send rugby fans home in the heat of the night in a daze of excitement, wondering what surprises the next day would bring. Michael O’Connor’s young Aussie Thunderbolts had a unique Pacific experience on their way to winning the 2013 Uprising 7s LICI Plate final: all up, they played and beat three local teams – Lautoka Hurricanes, Samurai Barracudas and Yamacia, before losing to Gordon Tietjen’s Kiwis 12-17 in a trans-Tasman quarter-final. The Aussies twice did battle with the Samoan Barbarians, who were led by Robert Lilomaiava and the indefatigable Lolo Lui, managing to turn around a 10-28 loss in their last pool game on Friday to win the Plate Final against the same team

19-14 just 24 hours later. With their quarter-final triumph over the Aussies, the emerging Kiwis became the first overseas team to qualify for the Cup semi-finals in three years of Uprising 7s tournaments. So all congrats, Gordon Tietjens – it had to be the Kiwi super coach to break this barrier. While possibly his top player over the weekend was Beauden Waaka, Tietjens did bring a trio of Fijians across in the shape of David Raikuna, Luke Masirewa and Seta Tamanivalu. Giant killers Yamacia, coached by Aisea Tuilevu and Vimiloni Delasau, showed they deserved their spot in the tournament by becoming the first local team to qualify for the Cup quarter-finals after breezing past Wardens in pool play 17-14 and Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre Red Rock 24 -12. For their gallant effort, the young Yamacia players experienced games against the Digicel Fiji Barbarians and the Aussie Thunderbolts on Saturday, losing both games but bowing out of contention having left their mark on the tournament and the large hordes of spectators. URF Army, with the evergreen Dale Tonawai and the strapping figure of Leone Nakarawa up front, just didn’t wake up on Day One, losing all their pool games. But when they did finally get out of bed on Saturday, the soldiers got better with

every game, eventually taking out the FMF Bowl Final after three good wins. LICI Police kicked off their campaign with a convincing upset win over Eddie Waqa’s Tongans 24-7, but quickly fell away from Cup contention after losing to the Fiji Baabaas 14-29 and then slipping up against Marika Vunibaka’s Lomaiviti Barbarians 21-26. But the lawmen, coached by Manasa Bari, bounced back to win convincingly the 2013 Uprising 7s Ministry of Health Shield Final 37-12 against the champion team from Qauia, Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre Red Rock, after earlier ending the Uprising 7s Team’s run at their own tournament, 3312 in the Shield semis.

done Fiji very proud, led by Special Administrator Pravin Bala and CEO Jone Nakauvadra. Another major highlight of the 2013 Uprising 7s was that it attracted the attention of the IRB Sevens World TV crew, who along with guest commentator, Willie Lose, were ﬂown in by Air Paciﬁc and accommodated courtesy of Tourism Fiji, to cover the event for their show, which has global coverage with tens of millions of television viewers in 104 countries.

If you missed it on Fiji One TV, you can check out two episodes the IRB Sevens World has broadcast on You Tube: “The Setefano Cakau special” and “Fijiana Road to Moscow”, with more to come. As tough and intense as the rugby was over the two days of the 2013 Uprising 7s, very few players suffered from fatigue or serious injury and the Organising Committee put this down to two key factors – the generous supply of bottled Fiji Water for all teams and ofﬁcials,

Unfortunately, Red Rock could not recover in time from losing three of their best players to the two Fiji teams. To his credit, coach Lote Rasiga did not complain as he knows the value of any one of his players going all the way and making it into the Digicel Fiji 7s team on the IRB circuit, as Jasa Veremalua has so effectively proven.

Top notch surface As for the Churchill Park playing surface, some of the best rugby 7s coaches in the world testiﬁed to its quality. Tietjens rated it “world class”, while Australian coach Michael O’Connor said it was the best ground in the (smaller) Paciﬁc. Samoan Coach, Lolomila simply said, “Please don’t move the Uprising 7s away from here next year.” All credit then to the management and staff of Lautoka City Council who have

Once again, the Uprising 7s is a high quality tournament. All the games are tough and very worthwhile. We are in the process of preparing a side and it’s important we attend world class tournaments like the Uprising 7s. Fijian rugby players are extremely good at 7s and there’s no better place to come to and learn the game. Australia coach Michael O’Connor. JUNE 2013

coupled with the excellent Physio and Medical Team led by Dr Pauliasi Bauleka, Orthopedic Consultant of Lautoka Hospital. Off the ﬁeld, all the international teams absolutely loved the unique experience that each of the sponsor hotels had to offer. The Aussie Thunderbolts stayed at Sonaisali Island Resort & Spa and enjoyed the experience of traveling to a training session in Lautoka by boat – only in Fiji, man!

The 2013 Uprising 7s Fiji Womens Crisis Centre Champions, Marist Sea Hawks, pose with FWCC,s Edwina Kotoisuva.

Women’s Rugby Four women’s teams took part in the Uprising 7s, with Marist Sea Hawks finishing undefeated again to retain the title they won in 2012. Following the lapse of the Fiji TV 7s Series, the Fiji Rugby Union did not organise any 7s tournaments at all this season for men or women, not even a National 7s. So women’s rugby was indeed fortunate to be invited to join the Uprising 7s as it was the only tournament that allowed the then national women’s coach Elenoa Kunatuba to identify players and key areas to work on before the Fijiana headed for the IRB 7s in China. The ladies were also invited to the Hong Kong 7s, but as usual the FRU’s empty pockets prevented them from attending and thus gaining valuable experience ahead of the World Cup in June. “One day,” the women must think to themselves, “the FRU will supported us properly.” The Sea Hawks opened with a 21-12 defeat of Hine Moana, cruised past Ricketts 45-0 and sealed victory by beating the Striders 36-0. The four teams played in a simple round-robin format without finals. Taking the runners-up spot were Hine Moana, playing in their first tournament, with Striders in third. Under the guidance of Kunatuba, Sea Hawks have been the best local club side for several seasons, and have produced many national reps. Looking towards 2014, interest has already been received from teams in Australia, the United States and even Norway, so hopes are high that women’s rugby in Fiji will receive a long-awaited boost. Rene Munch and the management and staff of major sponsor Uprising Beach Resort Air Pacific Fiji TV Fiji Water Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre FMF Foods Limited FM96 LICI Ministry of Health

JUNE 2013

Gordon Tietjens and his Emerging Kiwis loved the special treatment at The Anchorage Beach Resort and all the personal pampering laid on by their hosts and owners, Anu and Brendan Hannon; so much so that Tietjens has already “prebooked” The Anchorage Beach Resort for 2014. The TTC Tongans enjoyed the special “Bonjour & Bula” hospitality at Novotel Resort, while the Digicel Fiji team was very kindly hosted by Jack Stark and his team at the upgraded Tokatoka Resort & Spa, opposite Nadi International Airport. The FMF Fiji Warriors meanwhile lapped up the friendly atmosphere and homely surroundings laid on by the staff and fellow guests at Nadi Bay Resort. As Fa’amaoni Lalomila and his Samoan warriors snuggled up to Smugglers Cove on Wailoaloa Beach, one of their players expressed a personal wish to get married there sometime soon. One also had to applaud the initiative of two of the major sponsors – The Fiji Times and FMF Foods – for allowing fans free entry into Churchill Park on both days of the tournament by simply exchanging The Fiji Times and Chow Noodles vouchers for free entry. But making the Uprising 7s probably the most important tournament in Fiji are the rugby fans that came out in their masses to support the event in Suva and Lautoka come rain or shine. Teivovo is sure the organisers would like to thank each and every one of them. By Vela Naucukidi.

Ministry of Youth & Sports The Northern Club The Fiji Times Tourism Fiji URF VitiFM Vinaka vakalevu Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, Minister of Tourism Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum, and Minister of Youth & Sports Viliame Naupoto.

Willie Lose’s Uprising 7s Dream Team: Setefano Cakau - capt (Digicel Fiji Baabaas) Robert Lilomaiava (Samoa) Mosese Saunivanua (FMF Fiji Warriors) Leone Tabuarua (FMF Fiji Warriors) Pita Lee (Aussie Thunderbolts) Joji Ragamate (Digicel Fiji Baabaas) Ilai Tinai

(Digicel Fiji Baabaas) Filimoni Botitu (Tokatoka Baabaas) Lolo Lui (Samoa) Eremasi Benedito (FMF Fiji Warriors) Beauden Waaka (NZ Emerging 7s) Shannon Walker (Aussie Thunderbolts) (credit: Fiji Times)

JUNE 2013

Cup 2013 East-West tussle... Apenisa Qiri scored a good try for Tailevu at Nakelo, but Nadi took the points

Fiji grandstand... Northland hosted Suva at Gatwood Park

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JUNE 2013

Cup 2013

Stutter-start to 15s season While marketing gurus will always spin “any publicity as good publicity”, the stuttering start to the 2013 Digicel Cup, would not have pleased the top bell at Digicel HQ.

ESPITE equipping the Fiji Rugby Union with all the mobile phones they need, plus handing out three phones with free credit to each participating team in the Digicel Cup before the start of the season, communications still appeared to be a problem. Between the Fiji Rugby Union, defending champs Nadroga, and challengers Naitasiri, lines were disconnected on where exactly the opening round game was to be played. At the end of the day, or more appropriately at the beginning of the opening round of the 2013 Digicel Cup, Nadroga lined up on the halfway line at Navuso Agriculture School Ground, and 15 minutes down the road, Naitasiri lined up on the halfway line at Navuso District School. At last report, the FRU had awarded the game to Naitasiri with Nadroga saying they had appealed. The subsequent change in FRU Board, and thus Games Committee, means a ﬁnal decision has yet to be made.

passionate fans, the men in green and gold could only land one more try as the westerners rallied their defence to hold out. Though the rugby was stop-start, it was great to be back on the sidelines again – watching fast-ﬂowing, high energy action amid the excited screams and friendly taunts, sweet mandarins and roti parcels that surround provincial rugby in Fiji. One couldn’t help but notice the ambulance sneaking into the ground 30 minutes into the game. “Better late than never”, I guess. Or, like us, maybe they had trouble ﬁnding Nakelo District School. For the record, Nadi won 18-13.

Goldminers impress Meanwhile, Round Two in Navua saw an upset win for the goldminers of Vatukoula, defeating Namosi 13-9 under threatening clouds on a rain-

soaked Thomson Park. Against a much bigger pack and slick backs made up of the champion Wardens club coached by Timoci Wainiqolo, the lighter and smaller Vatukoula XV displayed a never-saydie defensive attitude to turn the tide and eventually head home with a win under their belts. Namosi only had themselves to blame for their loss, with poor decision-making and a lack of direction, contributing to their demise. Why kick away possession when the other side only has 13 men? Granted, several star players including Setefano Cakau, Lepani Botia, Ilai Tinai, Joji Ragamate and Jona Vota were unavailable because of national 7s duties, but as Vatukoula coach Senirusi Seruvakula said, “A win is a win and we’ll take it.” Vatukoula played old fashion Fijian rugby, running the ball out wide

at every opportunity and tackling their much bigger opponents like men possessed. A highlight for the big Namosi crowd was the unique place-kicking style of Vatukoula ﬂy-half Apisai Ralulu, who has taken the Jonny Wilkinson ritual to a whole new level – vinaka, Api! Thomson Park can also proudly boast the most honest fans (outside the fence), based on the speedy return of the match ball every time it was kicked out of the park. On each occasion, the ball was punted back with interest within seconds. What a breath of fresh air. The challenge now for Vatukoula will be to see if the win will boost their conﬁdence to stick to their natural style of rugby when they come up against some of the bigger boys like Suva and Nadroga. — Culden Kamea

Nakelo School grounds Having been informed by Tailevu officials that theirs was the only game in town that day, Teivovo decided to stay and watch the Tebara Transport-sponsored Tailevu team push the visiting Nadi scrum all over the Nakelo District School field, resulting in their opening try to hardworking flanker Apenisa Qiri. Despite dominating play, Nadi could not convert territorial advantage into tries, instead having to rely on the trusty boot of young fly-half Vatemo Ravouvu. The former Fiji age grade rep showed good form, kicking six from six for all of Nadi’s points. As much as the pendulum swung back in Tailevu’s favour in the second half, with lengthy periods spent on Nadi’s tarmac, willed on by their

Vatukoula showed grit and determination to defeat Namosi at Thomson Park

JUNE 2013

Cup 2013

2013 Digicel Cup

The first FRU provincial championship was played in 1963, and has been played every year since, except 1964. 2012 Top Pts Scorers K Vunaki (Naitasiri) K Neiqisa (Suva) J Bola (Northland) J Dakuvula (Tailevu) S Kenatale (Vatukoula) S Vauvau (Tavua)

T C P DG Total 1 21 23 0 116 0 14 17 1 82 0 9 20 0 78 2 6 18 0 76 1 9 13 0 62 1 4 13 1 55

2013 Top Pts Scorers S Kenatale (Vatukoula) K Neiqisa (Suva) S Takirua (Namosi) K Vunaki (Naitasiri) P Kovekalou (Nadroga) S Naivalu (Ovalau)

T 1 0 0 0 5 0

C 4 6 5 1 0 4

P DG Total 6 0 31 6 0 30 6 0 28 8 0 26 0 0 25 5 0 23

Sat 6 April

13 9 24 13 8 8 17 14 10 13

2012 Top Try Scorers

Saturday 13 April

Lautoka 21 Tailevu 21 Macuata 3 Namosi 20 Nadi 22 Naitasiri 15 Nadroga 24 Vatukoula 3 Northland 10 Suva 21 Tavua 20 Ovalau 16 Saturday 20 April

7 Tries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; J Brown (Suva) 6 Tries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A Ciba (Lautoka) J Stewart (Naitasiri) 5 Tries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; N Turagaulu (Tailevu) P Ravai (Nadroga) I Satala (Lautoka)

Nadroga 39 Macuata 6 Namosi 9 Vatukoula 13 Northland 10 Lautoka 13 Ovalau 19 Naitasiri 21 Tailevu 20 Suva 21 Tavua 0 Nadi 43

2013 Top Try Scorers

Saturday 4 May

5 Tries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; P Kovekalau (Nadroga) 4 Tries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A Kenatale (Suva) 3 Tries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I Naqia (Nadi) S Rawaqa (Nadroga)

Nadi 12 Northland 3 Naitasiri 8 Namosi 3 Suva 38 Ovalau 14 Tavua 6 Nadroga 57 Vatukoula 23 Tailevu 19 Saturday 11 May

2013 DIGICEL CUP standings after Round 4 Pos Team

+/-

TA TBP LBP Pts

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 3

4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 0 1 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0

0 0 1 1 2 2 3 1 3 3 3 3

109 95 120 45 54 56 78 52 49 73 36 25

54 31 22 44 42 78 86 53 63 83 145 91

+55 +64 +98 +1 +12 -22 -8 -1 -14 -10 -109 -66

15 12 19 4 6 6 9 6 5 11 4 1

7 2 1 5 3 10 12 7 9 6 21 14

Suva Nadi Nadroga* Naitasiri* Namosi Vatukoula Ovalau Lautoka Northland Tailevu Tavua Macuata

Naitasiri WBD Nadroga LBD* Namosi 22 Lautoka 18 Ovalau 32 Macuata 16 Suva 29 Tavua 10 Tailevu 13 Nadi 18 Vatukoula 17 Northland 26

2 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 2 0 2 1 1 3 0 0

Top four will advance to semi-finals; top eight will qualify for Farebrother; bottom team will face B Division champions in promotion/relegation play-off.

18 17 15 14 10 8 7 7 5 5 4 0

Macuata v Vatukoula (Subrail Park) Nadroga v Namosi (Lawaqa) Naitasiri v Tavua (Navuso) Ovalau v Nadi (Nasau Park) Suva v Lautoka (Albert Park) Tailevu v Northland (Nakelo) Saturday 18 May

Lautoka v Naitasiri (Churchill Park) Macuata v Tailevu (Subrail Park) Namosi v Tavua (Thomson Park) Northland v Ovalau (Gatward Park)

Suva v Nadroga (Albert Park) Vatukoula v Nadi (Theodore Park) Saturday 25 May

Lautoka v Ovalau (Churchill Park) Nadi v Namosi (Prince Charles Park) Nadroga v Tailevu (Lawaqa Park) Northland v Naitasiri (Gatward Park) Suva v Macuata (ANZ Stadium) Vatukoula v Tavua (Theodore Park) Saturday 29 June

Lautoka v Macuata (Churchill Park) Saturday 6 July

Nadi v Nadroga (Prince Charles Park) Naitasiri v Suva (Navuso) Namosi v Tailevu (Thomson Park) Northland v Macuata (Gatward Park) Ovalau v Vatukoula (Nasau Park) Tavua v Lautoka (Garvey Park) Saturday 13 July

Lautoka v Nadroga (Churchill Park) Macuata v Nadi (Subrail Park) Naitasiri v Vatukoula (Navuso) Namosi v Suva (Thomson Park) Tailevu v Ovalau (Nakelo) Tavua v Northland (Garvey Park) Saturday 20 July

Lautoka v Vatukoula (Churchill Park) Naitasiri v Macuata (Nakelo) Northland v Namosi (Gatward Park) Ovalau v Nadroga (Nasau Park) Suva v Nadi (ANZ Stadium) Tailevu v Tavua (Nakelo) Saturday 27 July

Macuata v Tavua (Subrail Park) Nadi v Lautoka (Prince Charles Park) Nadroga v Northland (Lawaqa Park) Namosi v Ovalau (Thomson Park) Tailevi v Naitasiri (Nakelo) Vatukoula v Suva (Theodore Park)

Semi-finals:

Final:

Sat 10 August (1st v 4th) Sat 17 August (2nd v 3rd)

Sat 24 August

*Appeal pending: Nadroga appealed the decision to award the game to Naitasiri.

*Naitasiri awarded full points for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Won By Defaultâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which is currently under appeal.

! ! ! ! Real credit of $2 is required to opt in. SMS bundle expires in 7 days. Customers can opt in again after bundle finishes within the opt in period. Re-opt in renews bundle expiry. 400 SMS is for Digicel to Digicel usage only. An out of bundle charge of 14c per SMS applies after usage of bundle. Dial *130# to check your SMS balance.

JUNE 2013

ALL PHOTOS: JEREMY DUXBURY

Recent Past Champions (final scores) 2012 Nadroga 30 Naitasiri 2011 Nadroga 13 Suva 2010 Naitasiri 25 Nadroga 2009 Nadroga 19 Nadi 2008 Nadi 10 Nadroga 2007 Nadi 22 Naitasiri 2006 Nadroga 27 Nadi 2005 Nadroga 24 Nadi 2004 Nadroga 52 Tailevu 2003 Lautoka 15 Suva

Most Titles 19 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Nadroga 11 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Nadi 8 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Suva 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Lautoka 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Naitasiri 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tailevu/Rewa

JUNE 2013

IRB Pacific Rugby Cup 2013

Male’s Warriors rule again Inoke Male’s coaching record with up and coming teams has long been impressive. From excellent achievements with Tailevu, Vatukoula and the Fiji U20s to his more recent successes at the IRB Paciﬁc Rugby Cup, Male seems to have a knack in looking after the younger players. In March, assisted by top western coach Fereti Verebula, the Fiji Warriors retained the PRC Trophy with solid wins over teams from Brisbane and Melbourne, plus an important 37-37 draw with the Highlanders Development side.

AVING been such a disappointment in 2011 under the coaching of Sam Domoni and Greg Mumm, the Fiji Warriors ﬁrst showed their potential last year

when they won ﬁve of their six matches, including an unprecedented clean sweep in New Zealand. With Alifereti Mocelutu looking after the backs, the Warriors beat the reserve sides of the Wara-

tahs, Brumbies, Chiefs, Blues and Crusaders. For the skeptics that might be thinking that the Kiwis did not ﬁeld their strongest units, have a look at the scores when they played Samoa A and Tonga A, both

of whom conceded more than 60 points in a match. Add to this the fact that the boys who play for the Fiji Army or Navy clubs could not travel because of the unpleasant stance of the Australian and New Zealand governments, and one starts to appreciate the level of Fiji’s accomplishment. “Probably the biggest improvement came in our scrums and lineouts,” Male said. “Discipline was also very good.” One stand-out player was former Flying Fijian Nemani Nadolo, who scored tries in every game, including a hat trick in the defeat to the Chiefs Development. Nadolo, who is based in Japan, will surely now look to resurrect his Test career in the Paciﬁc Nations Cup. Again, without a naming right sponsor for the Warriors, the Fiji Rugby Union were fortunate to have Punja and Sons come to their assistance at the eleventh hour to help with costs. Fiji Warriors Squad 2013 1. Joeli Veitayaki, 2. Jone Lesi, 3. Leroy Atalifo, 4. Apisai Vatubuli, 5. Leong Koong, 6. Seru Cakobau, 7. Jale Sassen, 8. Semi Keli, 9. Matai Ucutabua, 10. Aminio Nakicobula, 11. Nathan Hughes, 12. Apisai Domolailai, 13. Inoke Tuisese, 14. Kolinio Naselekale, 15. Esira Vueti, 16. Eremasi Radrodro, 17. Ron Katonivere, 18. Henry Seniloli, 19. Aisea Luveniyali, 20. Kolinio Vunaki, 21. Ratunaisa Vatuiranuku, 22. Aporosa Duana, 23. Peni Koroyawa, 24. Joseva Kunawave, 25. Jo Brown, 26. Apisai Nawaqaliva, 27. Mosese Taga, 28. Isoa Donaldson, 29. Lea Matayavusa, 30. Aisea Natoga.

Fiji Warriors PRC Matches in Australia & New Zealand, Feb~March 2012 Date Opponents Venue Result Fri 1 Mar Waratahs A Allianz Stadium, Sydney P-P Thu 7 Mar Brisbane Acdmy Ballymore, Brisbane W 24-17 Tue 12 Mar Rebels Rising Harlequins RC, Melbourne W 27-22 Mon 18 Mar Highanders Dev’t Forsyth Barr, Dunedin D 37-37 Waitemata RFC L 10-41 Sun 23 Mar Blues Dev’t Spriggens Park, Wanganui L 20-38 Thu 28 Mar Chiefs Dev’t

46 46

JUNEJUNE 20132013

H-t (3-3) (13-15) (6-8) (6-8) (28-19)

Tries (Match postoned owing to bad weather) Nadolo, Ucutabua, HUghes Nadolo, Luveniyali, Naweilulu, Tuisese Nadolo (2), Domolailai, Natoga Nadolo Nadolo (3)

Cons

Pens

Vatuiranuku (3) Vunaki (2) Vatuiranuku (4) Vatuiranuku Vunaki, Nadolo

Vatuiranuku Vatuiranuku Vatuiranuku (3) Vatuiranuku -

IRB Pacific Rugby Cup 2013 2013 Pacific Rugby Cup Tables P

Core Teams Fiji Warriors Samoa A Junior Japan Tonga A

6 6 6 6

2 2 0 0

2 0 0 0

2 4 6 6

118 134 140 73

155 198 361 306

-37 -64 -221 -233

2 1 3 0

0 1 0 0

14 10 3 0

Australian Conference Fiji Warriors ACT XV Sydney Academy Reds College XV Brisbane Academy Western Force A Samoa A HSBC Waratahs A Rebel Rising Junior Japan Tonga A

3 2 3 2 2 1 3 1 1 3 3

2 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 3 3

51 39 120 31 103 79 83 17 93 50 34 11 63 116 0 0 22 27 68 182 33 118

+12 +89 +24 +66 +43 +23 -53 0 -5 -114 -85

1 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 2 0

0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

11 10 10 9 6 5 5 2 2 2 0

New Zealand Conference Hurricanes Dev’t Blues Dev’t Chiefs Dev’t Crusader Knights Highlanders Dev’t Samoa A Fiji Warriors Junior Japan Tonga A

3 3 2 2 2 3 3 3 3

3 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0

0 1 0 0 0 2 2 3 3

179 66 101 48 85 43 100 46 100 47 71 82 67 116 72 179 40 188

113 53 42 54 53 -11 -49 -107 -148

3 2 2 1 1 0 1 1 0

0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0

15 11 10 9 7 5 3 1 0

Top Points Scorers J Sooialo (Samoa A) N Nadolo (Fiji Warriors) M Felsman (Brisbane Acmy) T Elkington (Crusader Knights) J Marshall (Hurricanes Dev’t) R Vatuiranuku (Fiji Warriors) T Yamasawa (Japan Jnrs)

T C 1 5 8 1 4 4 0 8 2 12 0 8 2 10

P 9 0 3 7 0 6 1

DG Total 0 42 0 42 0 37 0 37 0 34 0 34 0 33

+/- TBP LBP Pts

Top Try Scorers 8 Tries 6 Tries 5 Tries 4 Tries

– – – –

N Nadolo (Fiji Warriors) C Gibbons (Hurricanes A) K Fukuoka (Japan Jnrs) M Felsman (Brisbane Ac) D Routledge (Reds Clge) F Selesele (Samoa A)

Photos: Left... the rampaging Nemani Nadolo scored tries in all ﬁve matches, topping the try-scoring table with eight; Above... Nadroga’s Seru Cakobau in action against the Rebel Rising; Right... the Fiji Warriors played with ﬂair in Melbourne and ran in four tries. Pictured here is No.8 Eremasi Radrodro on a charge.

2013 PRC Results Fri 1 March

Waratahs A ppd Fiji W’rs ppd ACT XV 58 Samoa A 19 Sat 2 March

Reds College 24 Tonga A 3 Thur 7 March

Sydney Acdmy 24 Samoa A 33 ACT XV 62 Tonga A 12 Brisbane Acdmy 17 Fiji W’rs 24 Tues 12 March

W Force A 34 Samoa A 11 Sydney Acdmy 32 Tonga A 18 Brisbne Acdmy 76 Japan Jrs 26 Rebel Rising 22 Fiji Warriors 27 Mon 18 March

Highlnders Devt 37 Fiji W’rs 37 Reds College 59 Japan Jrs 14

Hurricanes Devt 68 Tonga A 3 Blues Devt 17 Samoa A 19 Sun 23 March

Crusader Kgts 30 Samoa A 27 Blues Devt 41 Fiji Warriors 10 Chiefs Devt 50 Tonga A 18 Sydney Acdmy 47 Japan Jrs 28 Thur 28 March

Hurricnes Devt 38 Fiji Warriors 20 Crusader Kgts 70 Tonga A 19 Chiefs Devt 35 Samoa A 25 Blues Devt 43 Japan Jrs 19 Tues 2 April

Highlndrs Devt 63 Japan Jrs 10 Mon 7 April

Hurricanes Devt 73 Japan Jrs 43

JUNE JUNE 2013 2013

47 47

Fiji Juniors 2013

Fiji in battle to retain talent The 12-team format at the IRB Junior World Championship throws up some unusual challenges, with a team’s success often down to what’s happening in other pools. Last year’s coach Sale Sorovaki and his assistant Bill Gadolo guided the Fiji Juniors through some outstanding performances in South Africa in 2012, but at the end of the day, they were saved from relegation by the skin of their teeth with a try from Brive centre Seva Galala being just enough to see off Italy. Jeremy Duxbury reports. Brother High School student Viliame Rarasea, and Australia based Zackery Lee and Joshua King. Now FRU needs to ﬁnd a way to hang onto these budding stars so that the investment made is not wasted. Playing for the U20s does not tie a player to that country and he is free to play for another nation if he qualiﬁes. In recent years, Fiji have blooded such juniors as Solo Rasolea, Tevita Kuridani, Josateki Lalagavesi (all Australia 7s), Nemani Maritino (Chiefs), Henry Speight (Brumbies) and Samuela Vunisa (Italy).

Big impact... Brive centre Seva Galala (right) scores the winning try last year against Italy; and Samu Kerevi (above) showed huge potential with three tries

48 48

JUNE 2013 JUNE 2013

One incentive would be to get the players to sign an agreement that if they opt for another national union within four years; then they would have to pay back the amount the FRU had invested in them to send them to the Junior World Championships. That might sound a little rough, but it’s exactly what the Australian RU does to keep a hold of its own junior players. To highlight the loss of talent currently going on in Fiji, in the last four years of the IRB Junior World Cup, only two players have progressed to Test level: Josh Matavesi

and Metuisela Talebula, both of whom represented Fiji before playing U20s. That’s a bit scary. The team depart Fiji on 27 May. Fiji U20 squad to France, June 2013 Aseri Robarobalevu, Mesake Doge, Sunia Tamani, Zachery Lee (Australia), Joji Ravula, Penaia Cakobau, Tunai Vatubua, Viliame Rarasea (Australia), Esikia Macu, Kemueli Tokalau, Laijiasa Bolenaivalu, Peceli Yato (France), Marika Vunibaka, Jone Baleidau, Jale Masi, Dylan Bower, Emori Waqa, Kini Douglas, Filimoni Seru, Nasoni Kunavore, Sevanaia Galala (France), Isireli Masiwini, Peceli Tuisese, Elia Ratucove, Maika Sivo, Timilai Rokoduru, Joshua King (Australia), Mosese Qionimacawa.

IMAGE SA

ADOLO has now earned promotion to head coach for this trip to France, where the Fiji U20s will face New Zealand, Ireland and Australia from 5th to 13th June before playing two more play-off matches. Five players from last year’s squad are included again – Sunia Tamani, Isikia Macu, Jimilai Rokoduru, Elia Ratucove and Francebased Sevanaia Galala. In total, ﬁve players are based overseas – Galala, former Nadroga U20 Peceli Yato who is attached to Clermont in France, former Marist

JJUNE JU JUN UN U N NEE 22013 001113 013

49 49

RAKAVI Bisinisi FRU incurs further loss THE Fiji Rugby Union reported a loss of $606,000 for 2012 on the back of huge drops in sponsorship and grants from the International Rugby Board and the Fiji Government. A year earlier in 2011, despite a Government grant of $2.3million, the FRU had suffered a loss of $178,000, mostly attributable to massive overspending for RWC 2011. Total income in 2011 increased to $10.2million, but FRU managed to go through some $10.4million – equivalent to $200,000 every week. Overall income in 2012 fell $3.60million to $6.62million whereas expenditure dropped $3.17million to $7.23million. Chief executive Manasa Baravilala attributed the huge loss mainly to “lack of sponsor for the Flying Fijians” and other teams even though the last national team sponsor they had was FMF back in 2008. There was no mention in the various directors’ reports of the huge staff costs, which still run at almost $1million for salaries, FNPF and allowances, plus the associated costs of transport, accommodation and meals when looking after 40-50 full-time staff. The lucrative Digicel sponsorships, worth $1.53million in 2012, will come to an end this year, so this is seen as a critical point for the direction of Fiji Rugby. The FRU have openly voiced a desire for more dollars but whether any other company can match the level of Digicel’s input remains to be seen.

50 50

JUNE JUNE2013 2013

OUT

IN Carpenters Motors Signing a ﬁve-year partnership in February, Carpenters Motors becomes the new partner of Fiji Rugby in a deal reportedly worth some $80,000 a year in kind.

Mizuno Last year, the FRU chose to end their long association with Nike, which was through Tappoo, and go with Mizuno footwear instead. However, this means no more automatic boot sponsorship for the 12 major unions for the ﬁrst time in eight years. Nike also used to supply the off-ﬁeld clothing for national reps. It is unclear which company will take over that role.

Dulux The white house in Gordon Street did get a new paint job via sponsorship from Dulux, but this is not included in the list of sponsors in the Annual Report ﬁnancials.

Kings Neon? The FRU announced last year a new partnership with Kings Neon Signs allegedly for “a million dollars”. However, no ﬁgures are included in the Annual Report and no outdoor screens have yet to be sighted at big games.

BSP BSP (previously Colonial) have been long-time sponsors and supporters of Fiji Rugby, ploughing several million dollars into the sport in the past decade. Last year, they opted not to renew the sponsorship of the SullivanFarebrother Trophy which amounted to $239,000 in 2011. This badly affected the provincial unions who also beneﬁted from the sponsorship.

Air Paciﬁc National carrier Air Paciﬁc reduced its spend on FRU from $127,000 in 2011 to just $22,000 in 2012.

Asco Motors After nine years of signiﬁcant sponsorship, Asco Motors opted not to renew its deal with FRU last year.

Tappoo / Nike At one time contributing more than $1million in cash and kind to the FRU coffers, Tappoo’s involvement has been reduced to just the Pepsi deal.

Fiji TV Fiji TV are no longer pumping cash into FRU. They were sponsors of the local 7s circuit for two years with a cash deal averaging $88,000 a year.

The Comings & Goings of FRU Sponsorship in the last 12 months

Unions vote en bloc ELECTIONS for the Fiji Rugby Union Board positions took place at the 2012 AGM in late April with provincial unions opting to vote en bloc rather than for the individual candi-

dates. The four nominees submitted by the eastern unions were thus elected, with none of those nominated from the West making it. Whilst the unions are per-

“I was not brought in because of my rugby skills but because of my management background.” – FRU CEO Manasa Baravilala at his ﬁrst press conference when he was appointed a year ago.

fectly within their rights to vote whichever way they wish to, the East-West divide was clearly evident, and somewhat disappointing at a time when Fiji Rugby needs to work together. Former Fiji captain Mosese Taga received the highest number of votes, along with University of the South Paciﬁc deputy vice chancellor Dr Esther Williams, who said subsequently that she will take on the task of trying to ﬁnd a title sponsor for the Flying Fijians. Carl Ngamoki-Cameron, previously the Prime Minister’s nominee, was voted in as Legal Director, while Napolioni Batimala was unopposed as Finance Director.

FRU Board elections Saturday 27 April, 2013 Rugby Directors: Mosese Taga 32 votes (elected) Dr Esther Williams 32 (elected) Daniel Whippy 31 (elected) Filimoni Vatukvoka 30 (elected) ________________________ Alivereti Cawanibuka 26 Ratu Isoa Tikoca 25 Tiko Matawalu 24 Sekove Tuilakeba 24 Legal Director: Carl Ngamoki-Cameron 32 (elected) Eparama Sailo 24 Finance Director: Napolioni Batimala (unopposed, elected) The two nominations from the Board of Trustees will be announced later, along with the Prime Minister’s nomination.

MBERS UMBERS, NU N , S R E B M U N

$4.8M

New Zealand RU profit for 2012.

$606,000 FRU loss for 2012.

$240,000

Average annual salary in England’s Aviva Premiership 2011.

$1.9M

FRU’s total expense for RWC 2007.

$3.3M

FRU’s total expense for RWC 2011.

$755,000 Decrease in FRU sponsorship from 2011 to 2012.

$400,000 Digicel Cup 2012 sponsorship.

$40,000

First prize at 2012 Vatukoula 7s.

Percentage of all income from broadcasting, sponsorship and ticketing that the Australian Rugby Union pays towards its player contracts. *All monetary figures have been converted into Fiji dollars.

JUNE JUNE 2013 2013

51 51

France

The Professionals

Top 14

WITH more Fijians playing professional rugby in Europe than ever before, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to keep up with them all! Five of the top six clubs in France have notable Fijians in their ranks who will be in action in the playoffs.

Play-offs Fri 10 May Toulouse v Racing Sat 11 May Castres v Montpellier

Team

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26

19 18 17 15 16 16 13 12 12 12 12 8 6 2

1 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0

6 7 9 9 10 10 13 13 13 13 14 17 20 24

779 779 702 599 570 512 593 467 505 578 480 561 423 374

418 456 501 489 520 431 607 609 540 691 606 584 709 761

Clermont Auvergne Toulon Toulouse Castres Montpellier Racing Metro Perpignan Bayonne Biarritz Stade FranĂ§ais Grenoble Bordeaux Begles Agen Mont-de-Marsan

Semi-finals Fri 24 May Sat 25 May Final: Sat 1 June +/- TBP LBP +361 +323 +201 +110 +50 +81 -14 -142 -35 -113 -126 -23 -286 -387

8 11 7 4 5 2 2 1 2 2 1 4 0 1

5 5 4 6 4 7 7 6 5 2 5 9 7 7

Pts 91 90 79 74 73 73 61 57 57 54 54 47 31 16

Top points: 355 -J Wilkinson (Toulon); 326 - R Kockott (Castres); 265 - J Hook (Perpignan). Top tries: 13 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; N Nalaga (Clermont); 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; W Fofana (Clermont).

Pictured here are two of the younger set of Fijians that have found their way to France, Noa Nakaitaci (left, at Clermont), and Vireimi Vakatawa (above, at Racing).

Celtic League Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Team Ulster Leinster Glasgow Scarlets Ospreys Munster Benetton Treviso Connacht Cardiff Blues Edinburgh Dragons Zebre

P 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22

W 17 17 16 15 14 11 10 8 8 7 6 0

D 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0

L 4 5 6 7 7 10 10 13 14 15 16 22

Semi-finals (10-11 May) Ulster v Scarlets Leinester v Glasgow Final: 25 May F 577 585 541 436 471 442 414 358 348 399 358 291

A 348 386 324 406 342 389 450 422 487 504 589 573

+/- TBP LBP Pts +229 8 3 81 +199 9 1 78 +217 9 3 76 +30 3 3 66 +129 2 2 62 +53 4 4 54 -36 4 2 50 -64 1 3 38 -139 1 5 38 -105 1 7 36 -231 1 3 28 -282 1 9 10

Top Pts: 182 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I Madigan (Leinster); 198 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; D Biggar (Ospreys); 167 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; T Prydie (Dragons). Top Tries: 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; T Visser (Edinburgh), D Van der Merwe (Glasgow), A Trimble (Ulster).

Matches and minutes played, tries and points scored by Fiji-eligible players at RaboDirect Pro12 clubs for the 2012-13 season Player

Position

I Nacewa

Fullback Leinster

Team

Competition

RaboDirect Amlin Cup Hnken Cup Total N Matawalu Halfback Glasgow RaboDirect Hnken Cup Total N Talei No.8 Edinbâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;gh RaboDirect Hnken Cup Total C Maâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;afu* Prop Cardiff RaboDirect D Manu Prop Scarlets RaboDirect Hnken Cup Anglo-Welsh Total *Data not available at time of press.

Starts Subs

11 2 6

2 0 0

10 2

6 4

12 3

2 2

n/a n/a 6 9 0 3 1 1

Total Tries

Pts

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Mins

13 1 5 895 2 2 10 160 6 1 5 458 21 4 20 1,513 16 7 35 839 6 2 10 273 22 9 45 1,112 14 1 5 914 5 0 0 241 19 1 5 1,155 n/a n/a n/a n/a 15 0 0 557 3 0 0 68 2 0 0 111 20 0 0 736

To demand for a pay-slip To query non-payment of FNPF contributions

Premiership Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Team Saracens Leicester Tigers Harlequins Northampton Saints Gloucester Rugby Exeter Chiefs Bath Rugby London Wasps London Irish Sale Sharks Worcester Warriors London Welsh

P 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22

W 17 15 15 14 12 12 10 9 7 7 5 5

D 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0

Semi-finals 11-12 May Leicester v Harlequins Saracens v Northampton Final: Sat 25 May L 4 6 7 8 9 9 11 13 14 14 16 17

PF 533 538 560 501 515 542 452 511 459 377 422 412

PA 339 345 453 433 481 446 434 528 601 596 547 619

+/- TBP LBP Pts +194 5 2 77 +193 7 5 74 +107 5 4 69 +68 6 3 65 +34 2 8 60 +96 4 5 59 +18 4 7 53 -17 4 8 48 -142 2 3 35 -219 2 3 35 -125 3 8 33 -207 1 7 23

Top pts: 250 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; F Burns (Gloucester); 247 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; N Evans (Hquins); 244 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; G Steenson (Exeter). Top tries: 13 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C Wade (Wasps), T Varndell (Wasps); 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; J Elliott (Northampton).

Matches and minutes played, plus tries and points scored, by Fijieligible players at Aviva Premiership clubs for the 2012-13 season Player

Position Team

S Rokoduguni

Wing

Competition

Starts Subs Total Tries Pts Mins

Aviva 6 Anglo-Welsh 1 Total W Votu Wing Exeter Aviva 1 Anglo-Welsh 2 Total J Matavesi Centre Worcester Aviva 13 Amlin Cup 2 Anglo-Welsh 2 Total S Naqelevuki Centre Exeter Aviva 7 Heinken Cup 3 Total K Ratuvou Centre Saracens Aviva 2 Anglo-Welsh 1 Total R Fatiaki Centre Worcester Aviva 0 Anglo-Welsh 1 Total A Qera Flanker Gloucester Aviva 18 Amlin Cup 5 Anglo-Welsh 1 Total J Yanuyanutawa Prop Sale Aviva 0 Amlin Cup 2 Anglo-Welsh 0 Total

If you exercise your RIGHT, your Employer CANNOT z Victimize you z Terminate you z Demote you z Transfer or change your employment position z Physically harass you OR z Force you to resign

Bath

3 4 0 0 5 1 0 6 2 2 0 3 0 4 0 1 13 3 3

9 5 14 1 2 3 18 3 2 23 13 5 18 4 1 5 3 1 4 22 5 2 29 13 5 3 21

3 3 6 1 1 2 2 0 0 2 4 0 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 5 0 0 5 0 0 0 0

15 512 15 177 30 689 5 59 5 160 10 219 10 971 0 178 0 114 10 1,263 20 655 0 265 20 920 0 188 5 61 5 249 0 66 0 80 0 146 25 1,367 0 386 0 65 25 1,818 0 155 0 251 0 46 0 452

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Super 15

Henry Speight

THE new Super Rugby format has been met with mixed reactions. Having six teams go through to the play-offs makes the jostling at the top more interesting, but the tournament is no longer even as teams donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get to play all the other teams. This means some franchises have arguably harder schedules. Sanzarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other weird invention is the awarding of four points when a team has a bye. Totally unnecessary. Anyway... former Fiji age grade rep Henry Speight is going great guns at the Brumbies and is the tournaments top try-scorer with seven. Sadly for Fiji, he is likely to sign up with the Wallabies when he becomes eligible later this year. Pos Team

11 10 10

7 7 7

11 9 10 10 10 10 9 10 10 11 10 9

7 5 7 6 5 5 4 5 2 2 2 1

+/-

TBP LBP Pts

2 3 3

2 0 0

1 1 1

304 316 284

193 231 204

+111 +85 +80

4 6 3

1 2 2

41 40 37

2 4 3 4 5 5 5 5 8 8 7 8

2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0

1 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 2

214 218 225 273 278 229 189 229 221 180 188 175

200 169 213 210 260 189 187 268 327 260 354 258

+14 +49 +12 +63 +18 +40 +2 -39 -106 -80 -166 -83

2 4 1 3 1 2 1 2 2 0 1 0

1 4 2 3 1 3 4 2 4 4 0 2

39 36 35 34 30 29 29 28 22 18 15 14

Conference leaders

1 2. 3.

Brumbies Chiefs Bulls

Wild card teams

Top points: 139 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; G Anscombe (Chiefs); 132 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; M Steyne (Bulls). Top tries: 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; H Speight (Brumbies); 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; T Nanai-Williams (Chiefs), R Rhule (Cheetahs).

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Reds Blues Cheetahs Crusaders Waratahs Sharks Stormers Hurricanes Rebels W.Force Kings Highlanders

B=Bye (4 pts). Top side from each nation proceeds to play-offs along with next-best three teams. Note: First criterium for separating teams level on points is number of games won.

Heineken Cup Jonny Wilkinson delivered a faultless display to inspire Toulon to a 24-12 victory over Saracens in their Heineken Cup semi-ďŹ nal clash at Twickenham. Wilkinson, 34, kicked seven penalties and a late drop-goal as Toulon saw off their English rivals to book their place at Dublinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aviva Stadium on 18 May when they will tackle fellow French heavyweights Clermont Auvergne. After an excellent season with Clermont, Fijians Napolioni Nalaga and Noa Nakaitaci will look to put the icing on the cake.

Netani Talei

Heineken Cup Results Quarter-finals Sat 6 April Clermont 36 Montpellier 14 Saracens 27 Ulster 16 Sun 7 April Harlequins 12 Munster 18 Toulon 21 Leicester 15

Final Sat 18 May Clermont v Toulon (Lansdowne Rd, Dublin)

Semi-finals

Timoci Matanavou

Sat 27 April Clermont 16 Munster 10 Sun 28 April Saracens 12 Toulon 24

Get SUPERTxt! Get

You can now receive your FNPF balance You balance through through FNPFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SUPERTxt directly to your phone. FNPFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s phone. Every month, your balance is sent directly Every directly to to you. you.

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5353

NO MESSINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

with Simon Raiwalui

RUGBY AGENTS In 14 years of professional rugby, I experienced every high and low on the ďŹ eld you could possibly think of. Since becoming manager, then coach, of Paris-based Racing Metro 92, I now sit on the other side of the desk and deal with a lot of things I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see as a player.

Standing 2 metres in height and weighing 120kg, Simon Raiwalui earned 43 Test caps for Fiji from 1997 to 2006. He now manages and coaches in France.

HERE have been scary stories in recent seasons with Fijian players allegedly signing two contracts simultaneously, breaching contracts with their agents, and ďŹ nding themselves in hot water. The ďŹ rst thing players must look at before searching for a contract overseas is to get an agent that is going to get the best deal for them and put them into the best situation. The idea is to build a career of between ďŹ ve to 10 years, so the ďŹ rst contract is the most important one. The ďŹ rst two years are about putting yourself in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;shop windowâ&#x20AC;? for everyone to see and this will deďŹ ne what route your career takes. If you are successful on the ďŹ eld and build the reputation as a hard worker, you will reap the rewards. A half-decent agent should look into the following areas without being asked: â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

Contract (period, salary, conditions etc) Travel Accommodation Financial advice & planning Language courses (if necessary) Support base Club obligations (release dates, player info for FRU, ďŹ tness, injuries etc)

Needless to say it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work like that. Here are some examples of what has happened when Fijian players are ill-advised: â&#x20AC;˘ Players using two different agents and agreeing to multiple contracts. This has happened in the last couple of seasons. There is no problem with negotiating with different

Have you completed your Nomination? 54

JUNE 2013

Talebulaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s move to Bordeaux hit the headlines last year

teams, but if you are not 100% sure â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do Not Sign The Contractâ&#x20AC;?. Once you sign multiple contracts, you are liable to legal action and the player suffers, not the agent. â&#x20AC;˘ Players signing playing or management contracts and not honouring them. This paints Fijians in a bad light. The agent may be willing to take the risk of breaking contracts as it is not him that is liable to legal action, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the player. As a man and a rugby player, the most important thing you have is your â&#x20AC;&#x153;wordâ&#x20AC;?, if you lose that it is near on impossible to get back and it will follow you for the rest of your career. â&#x20AC;˘ Family members interfering in contract negotiations and taking backhanded payments without the player knowing. Sadly, this has been known to happen to the detriment of the player. I know elder relatives are very respected in Fiji, as they should be, but I have seen deals where a relative has been looking out for himself not the player. â&#x20AC;˘ People within the FRU proposing players to agents and clubs overseas with their own agenda and then using their position to inďŹ&#x201A;uence contracts. All these things lead to the player ending up in the wrong situation and often very unhappy. As we all know, an unhappy Fijian, whether 3km or 3,000km away from home, is not going to succeed. Finding a good agent is like interviewing for a job, only the agent is the one that should be taking the interview. The player must get

what he needs from the agent, not the other way around. Ask questions, demand what he is going to do before, during and after the contract; and then make sure that what you have agreed to is written in an agreement. Too many agents do a deal and leave the player to their own devices for two years and only call back when there is a chance of another commission. The hardest thing to adjust to when going overseas is the sheer length of the season and the commitment needed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ďŹ ve days a week, two, sometimes three, trainings a day, commercial and media commitments, personally controlled recovery sessions after every training; and all this for close to 40 weeks a year. Add 25-30 club matches a year and you start to understand the full magnitude of becoming a professional player. Many players (not only Fijians) think getting paid is what makes you a professional player; but it is your commitment and discipline that deďŹ nes how professional you are. From a clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s point of view, they want one thing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a player that is going to make a difference on the ďŹ eld. Obviously they will expect discipline and commitment, but ďŹ rst and foremost they are looking for a great player. So the main piece of advice I give players looking to go overseas is to get as much information and advice as possible. Current players, ex-players and trusted staff can all help you in your decision â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but in the end you have to make the decision and decide what is best for your future.

Should you die and your nomination is invalid, your FNPF savings will be placed in the High Court, who would determine its distribution. It may not be paid out to the person or persons that you wanted. Do the right thing now ... Nominate your loved ones )RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ FDOO 6XYD /DXWRND /DEDVD RU YLVLW RXU ZHEVLWH ZZZ P\IQSI FRP IM

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JUNE 2013

E U G A LE Y B G U R F O E IS R ID P A R THE

FNRL General Manager Tomi Finau in the FNRL custom-made dormitory

Players from Lomaivuna High School use the FNRL’s makeshift gym in the basement.

If the early season crowds are anything to go by, the big numbers watching the secondary schools Rugby League competition at Veiuto Primary School each Saturday morning underline the important development work undertaken by the Fiji National Rugby League over the past few years. From a relatively minor sport, Rugby League is fast becoming mainstream. Vela Naucukidi reports.

from a large number of volunteers, people with the heart for the game. “Our main strengths are our volunteers, teachers and referees,” Finau stated as a matter of certainty. “They help out and we just provide them with their transport, food and recharge cards. The development ofﬁcers also double up as operations staff, sorting out the games and competitions. One looks after the Central Division, one the West, and the third is the Development Manager. We also have coordinators around the zone.” Listening to Finau and seeing how smart FNRL have been with their set-up, one cannot help compare Rugby League’s success with the recent slump of the Fiji Rugby Union.

Rugby League in Fiji has had its ups and downs since its inception back in 1992; but the current administration appear to have given the sport a very solid foundation on which to build. The FNRL have seven full-time staff (three of whom are development ofﬁcers), and their biggest asset, according to general manager Tomi Finau, lies in the passion

SMALL BUDGET

JUNE- 2013 JAN APR - ISSUE 49

The FNRL’s typical annual budget sits at around $275,000 compared with the Fiji Rugby Union’s average of $7.5 million. The FNRL headquarters is a converted house in Richards Road in Muanikau. The office and meeting rooms are on the first floor, with a gymnasium in the basement. The FRNL have renovated the back part of

the house to include dormitories with 28 bunks and a player’s kitchen and dining room. It’s very convenient, FNRL chairman Peni Musunamasi said. Teams can stay here, use the gym, and walk to training at Albert Park or Bidesi. There is no need for expensive accommodation, meals and transport costs. In contrast, FRU teams stay in paid-for accommodation and need a bus to take them to training. Interestingly, the FRU pays more in rent to the Fiji Sports Council for the space to house the HPU Gym equipment than the FNRL pays in total rent for their building, gym and dorm combined. And that’s the reward for Rugby League when it is administered by people with a genuine interest in the game who are there to help the sport ﬁrst and foremost. FNRL get a modest annual grant of A$25,000 from the Rugby League International Federation, of whom Musunamasi is one of the 10 Board members, along with PNG’s John Numapo representing the Asia Paciﬁc region. We use that to pay for our rent, water, electricity and phone bills, Finau said. Here, the Fiji Government gave us $36,000 to use for January and February

to prepare the local Fiji Bati boys because it’s a World Cup year. But we managed to stretch that to four months. That money was used to buy new mattresses for the dorms, transport allowance for the boys, their pool and gym costs, get some T-shirts and food that we get mainly from the market and supermarkets. Funds well spent. Hallelujah! Success at the 2008 Rugby League World Cup in Australia, where the Fiji Bati reached the semi-ﬁnals after beating France and Ireland, provided an additional boost, and the sport has since attracted a whole new following.

GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT Equally as impressive is the thorough and well-planned development work at grassroots level. “In 2006, we had just 12 clubs playing Rugby League, but now we have 50, all within the same sponsorship,” Finau notes with a hint of pride. “For the club competition, we have the premium, reserves, U18s, U16s and U14s.” Finau added that they encouraged the clubs to ﬁeld age-grade teams because, by the start of the second term, the

sch school competition had usually finished and some of the schoolboys wanted to continue playing. Indeed, getting Rugby League played at school level has been a massive achievement and is a success story in itself. “Our chairman approached Master Iosefo Volau at the Ministry of Education,” Finau explained. “We were told that we needed to be different from Rugby Union, and that’s why we have our secondary schools competition in the first term.” The first four schools that took part in 2007 were Nasinu, Suva Grammar, Nabua and Laucala Bay. They had a strong interest plus they were close to the stadium so it was easy for them. “Now, we have 35 schools fielding five grades. In that first year, these four teams fielded four grades (U19s, U18s, U17s and U16s). We gave them full sets of uniforms then as we do now. Every time an overseas club donates jerseys to us, we give them to the schools. And we assist in transporting the teams to the game venues starting from pool play right up to the final.” This year is the first time the FNRL have given prize money for the schools competition, each grade winner of the

finals last month won $1,000. All credit to the FNRL secondary schools officials for the strong presentation of their games in terms of sponsor sideline signage, team uniforms, match official uniforms and PA announcements, all very positive stuff. Coincidently, on the same day in April the FNRL secondary school teams were playing their finals in Lautoka, having previously announced a lucrative apparel sponsorship of $600,000 with LE of Australia; the FRU directors were explaining to their affiliate members at their Annual General Meeting in Suva how they managed to make a loss of exactly that same amount for their financial year 2012.

PLAYER POTENTIAL A very interested observer at the FNRL Secondary Schools Finals was Melbourne Storm recruitment manager, Paul Bunn, who told The Fiji Times, “The young players need to up-skill, but they have the raw talent.” Three players from the U19s grade caught Bunn’s eye Nasinu Secondary Schools duo of Kaveni Dabeinaise and Venisoni Uluvula, plus Marist Brothers High School’s Viliame Kikau. Chief guest for the day, NRL West Tigers speed

JAN - APRJUNE - ISSUE 2013 49

FNRL signs major deal with LE Continuing their successful sponsorship drive towards the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, the Fiji National Rugby League have signed up Australia-based apparel manufacturer LE in a deal worth more than $600,000 in cash and kind over four years, one of the most lucrative apparel sponsorship deals in the South Paciﬁc. “This is the best deal we have ever had for ofﬁcial apparel,” FNRL chairman Peni Musunamsi said. “LE have come in at an important time as Rugby League is growing rapidly and we build towards the World Cup in October.” Simultaneously, LE have signed a contract with Tappoo to ensure that fans have good access to a wide range of merchandise through 14 retail and hotel outlets as well as Nadi Airport which in turn provides more funding to the sport through royalties.

sensation, Marika Koroibete, was recruited exactly the same way, from exactly the same competition. Fingers crossed then that all three make it to Melbourne one day and turn out in the Storm colours alongside Sisa Waqa. Moving forward, Finau says FNRL would like to keep the club competition small but improve on the quality. “We have six zones: Nasinu, Suva, Sigatoka, Nadi, Lautoka and Ra. Next year, we are moving to the North and also looking at Ovalau, Tavua and Ba. We are being careful to expand only at a rate we can absorb. Our aim is to better our world ranking, and we’re targeting the ﬁnal for RLWC 2013 in October. He says there are 30 local players in the elite team, plus those playing professionally in Australia. We always want to provide the best for our players but we can only do so much (because of the small budget),” Finau said. I guess we are fortunate to have a bunch of players who are willing to play for their country. In some cases, national reps have to fork out from their pocket so they can play. FNRL Secondary Schools Finals 2013 Under 15: Lelean 10 Suva Grammar 10 Under 16: Lelean 8 John Wesley 4 Under 17: Suva Grammar 18 Nasinu Secondary 16 Under 18: Ratu Navula 14 Ba Provincial 12 Under 19: Nasinu Secondary 14 Marist 6

LE, an Australian based company, started operations in 2008 and has developed into one of the fastest-growing teamwear labels in Australia and the Paciﬁc with expansion into the UK and New Zealand forecast for later this year. The LE label is now prominent throughout the South Paciﬁc, notably in Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Fiji. LE managing director Kris Pillay, who was born in Fiji, said, “Our sublimation capabilities allow LE to be able to produce in excess of 5,000 sublimation prints and press per day.” “We integrate function and fashion to create garments that look great, feel fantastic and suit the sport for which they are intended,” Pillay added. Fiji-born Australian rugby league icon, Petero Civoniceva, is LE’s brand ambassador and his endorsement only enhances the quality and service that the company provides to its clients, especially in Fiji. Teivovo also understands that Civoniceva is keen to pull on the white jersey for the Bati for the World Cup.

JUNE 2013

What should you do if there is an elephant in front of you, horses beside you and a lion behind you? Get off the Merry Go Round. What did one wall say to another wall? “I’ll meet you at the corner.” Which is heavier, a kilo of stones or a kilo of butter? They are the same weight, each 1kg! Why did the teacher wear sunglasses? Because her students were so bright!

Young rugby supporters and an alternate use for FRU sponsors’ signs

Ha ha, hee hee, ho ho “Dear Jone. How have you been? Your mother and I are ﬁne. We miss you. Please sign out of Facebook and come downstairs for something to eat. Love, Dad.”

Why did Mere study in the aeroplane? She wanted a higher education! What kind of hair do oceans have? Wavy! Q: “Do you have any invisible ink?” A: “Certainly sir. What colour?” Tomasi: “What do you mean by telling everyone that I’m an idiot?” Kelera: “I’m sorry, Tomasi, I didn’t know it was supposed to be a secret.”

Start

A noise woke me up this morning. It was the crack of dawn! What has a bottom at the top? Your legs.

Who am I?

I hail from Ra and have played for the Digicel Fii 7s and the Flying Fijians. I was named Best Player at last year’s Hong Kong 7s. I am a also naval officer, but play rugby in Scotland. Who am I?

Two boxes of Tuckers Ice Cream to be won! Send your answer with your name, address, phone number, age and school to: Tuckers Ice Cream Kidz Rugby, Box 3574, Lami. Deadline: 25 May 2013. Teivovo #47 “Who am I?” Answer: Albert Vulivuli. Winners: 1. Jekope Vula, (4), Caubati. 2. Aporosa Nagata, (12), Ba. Finish

JUNE 2013

Try to ﬁnish the maze without saying ‘meow’!

TAKE ONE HOME TODAY

Double-page spread -5Tuckers

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A Trip to Sydney with A$500 SPENDING!

Weekend at the Sheraton Fiji Resort with $300 SPENDING!

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Culden’s Culinary Corner

Bula rugby fans, As the 2013 Paciﬁc Nations Cup approaches, my mind goes back to last year’s clash between my Tongan Kai take and Inoke Male’s Flying Fijians at Churchill Park, in what was a typically tough, forward-dominated encounter.

HE Test match lived up to my expectations, for all of an hour, before the Tongans succumbed to the old-style, wide-running, open game of the Fijians and the individual brilliance of one Metuisela Talebula. Young Talebula is, in my opinion, simply world class – a rare gem of a rugby player who comes around only once in a decade, if you’re lucky enough to see them. Many moons ago, I was lucky enough to see one of Fiji’s best

JUNE 2013

Heavyweight boxers – Sunia Cama, live in action, against Tongan heavyweight – Koili Vailea, at a packed out Lower Civic Centre in Suva. Cama took the decision with a classy TKO in the 11th. I mention the great Sunia Cama because a couple of weeks ago, mon Publisher Duxbury, invited me to lunch and we unexpectedly ended up at Cama’s Café on Amy Street in Toorak. The memory of that fight, in the first-ever boxing program that I attended in the early 1970s, came flooding back the moment we walked in the door, with all his boxing photos fading into history on the café walls. While my friend tucked into his mouth-watering fish & lolo, I recalled that when he was alive, Cama always used to recommend his beef chop suey with rice or tapioca. But there was none on the menu that day, so I went with curry chicken and tapioca, which was nice enough, yet sadly, without the great man around, it just wasn’t the same. As Rickie Lee Jones once sang, “The most as you’ll ever go, is back where you used to know. Years will go by.” RIP Sunia Cama Rakuita. Back to Talebula; the weekend before, in his first Test against Scotland, he scored a scintillating try with his first touch of the ball, after coming on as a replacement in the second half. Against the Tongans he was simply too fast.

Talebula’s play at fullback reminded me of my first rugby idol, the great Scotsman and British Lion – Andy Irvine, who set the New Zealand rugby world alight with his attacking flair, speed and prodigious place-kicking on tour with the British Lions in 1977. Like Irvine, Talebula has an eye for the gap and slices into the Fiji backline and through opposition defenses like Kelly Slater riding a perfect 10 at Cloudbreak. Unlike Irvine, who needed a bit of time and space to range up outside his wingers and outflank the opposition backline, Talebula has a wicked turbo-booster that he steps on to leave would-betacklers grasping thin air, as he burns through gaps to score Simple menu... delicious food amazing tries. at Sunia Cama’s place in Toorak Like Irvine, Talebula is a very handy kicker of the rugby ball - Talebula, for me, has it all in sevboth place and field, as he ens rugby. And as I said earlier, Talebula showed so well last year. Alalso has a deadly accurate dropthough his place-kicking is more of a stab, without much follow kick, which in the closeness of through, Talebula aims high and competition nowadays is increasingly the difference between winis very accurate. And as we’ve seen in sevens ning IRB 7s tournaments and gorugby he has a beautiful drop- ing out early in the Cup competition on day two. kick – the man has it all. I imagine in 2016, drop-kicks will be the difference between Talebula not gun shy Just to round things off, Taleb- Olympic Gold and Silver in Rio ula is not shy of the tackle either and if Talebula is on song for Fiji, and will take anyone on head-on, our fans will be singing all the thanks to his early rugby league way home to Fiji, so start saving your saqamolis rugby fans – Brainfluence, I guess. All the above I have described, sil here we come! However, as I write this piece, was only from his first two Test news has just broken (by Teivocaps for Fiji, which I will be able to tell my grandchildren one day, vo-Text Service of course) that that “I saw him play with my Talebula wants to play for Fiji at own eyes” at beautiful Churchill the Rugby World Cup 7s in Moscow next month instead of playPark in Lautoka. I have made not one mention ing Test rugby in the Pacific Naof Talebula’s brilliance for Fiji on tions Cup. That truly is great news. As a last year’s IRB 7s circuit. professional player in France, he What I will say with great respect, is that Talebula will go on only has a small window of opfor Fiji 7s, if he so wishes, to fi- portunity to make money for nally give Fiji a replacement himself and his family, through sevens wizard for the great Wai- his unique talent on the field, so the very best of luck to him. sale Serevi. Only time will tell, but I have a Yes, he is not small with a gifted goose-step like William Ryder, great feeling that Talebula’s star but in terms of acceleration will be more than just a twinkle through a gap, flair for the game in the western sky over and will to score tries and win – Lautoka.

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JUNE 2013

Coconut Wireless Cuwabe uwab 7s The Cuwabe 7s will be held on 11 May at Thomson Park in Navua. Registration fee of $250 for 24 teams is open. Cup winner will get $2,000, runner-up $700. Prizes for plate and bowl winners, losing semi-ﬁnalists in Cup and Plate. Registration closes on 9 May. Contact Wame on 936 9559.

Blue Sugar Comm’ty 7s The third leg of the Blue Sugar Community 7s series will be held at Churchill Park on 10 May. Only 16 teams allowed, so it’s ﬁrst come, ﬁrst served. Winner takes $500 and entry fee is $50. Admission is free for those who wish to watch but please bring a small plastic bag of used clothes & footwear, storybooks, textbooks, toys, etc for the needy. More info contact Tuidriva Bainivalu 867 0960.

Marist 7s The 37th Fiji Bitter Marist 7s is scheduled for 31 May to 1 June at the ANZ Stadium. Registration fee is $500 for the men’s competition (64 teams only), $300 for the wom-

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en’s (8 teams only) and Oldies (6 teams only). Registration with team names must be written on deposit slip and deposited into ANZ Marist Rugby Account 8850788. After deposit, team ofﬁcial to contact is Anare Wailevu on 702 7462.

Vanuakula 7s The Vanuakula Catholic Mission School will hold rugby 7s and netball tournament on 10-11 May at the school ground. In rugby 7s, ﬁrst 40 teams only. Entry fee is $200. Main prize is $2,000, runnersup $1,000. Prizes for plate/bowl winners/runners-up. Contact Marino Nawa 918 2122 (Naqali), Sokoveti Turagakacivi 978 3836, Petero Koroi 840 5556 (Vanuakua) or Nimilote Naisorotabua 906 7584 (FBC).

Play in Sri Lanka Sri Lankan club seeks Fijian players to ply their trade in Colombo for 2013. Contract includes accommodation, meals, travel, plus performance bonuses. Many Fijians have played for this club. Send your full rugby CV and contact details to Hassan Nauzeer by email: <nauzeer@tajimacolombo.com>

Fiji’s First Sealed Maintenance-Free Battery! Magic Eye To alert vehicle owners when it is time to recharge or replace the battery.

Flat Top No visible screw tops to have to worry about loss or replacement of battery water.

Inside Uses the latest Calcium Plate technology to ensure greater endurance and better performance.

Reputation

Bolt is manufactued by Pacific Batteries - A Fijian company with ISO accreditation and numerous awards including 2011 Manufacturing Exporter of the Year.

It’s here. Fiji’s first locally-manufactured sealed maintenance-free automotive battery. Suitable to fit a whole range of Fiji’s most popular vehicles, these batteries are built and made in Fiji for Fiji conditions. Each Bolt Sealed Maintenance-Free Battery is tested to ensure that you’re getting maximum power output and maximum value. Bolt Batteries come with an 18-Month warranty so you can rest easy with Bolt.

Every Bolt Sealed Maintenance-Free Battery is made by Pacific Batteries - ISO accredited and multi-award winner - Fiji’s only local battery manufacturer and Bolt is another demonstration of a Fijian company developing products locally, that can compete with the best brands globally. Grab a Bolt Battery for your vehicle from wherever quality batteries are sold. And drive easy knowing that with a Maintenance Free Bolt Battery under your hood, battery maintenance is a thing of the past.

Available from:

Ask for BOLT everywhere quality batteries are sold.

JUNE 2013

Last

Words

prayer The biker’s pray

p y meetingg by A Biker walks into a prayer lea the mistake. However, before he can leave was anything room the pastor asks him if there w they could pray for him about. The Biker is pray for his i not being used to such kindness, and replies that they could pra k bby surprise, taken on him hands lay to Biker the around gather agree, t andd prayer group agree The pastor i Th hhearing hearing. and when minutes five about for pray They ears. his on hands lay and pray; they particularly hearing. his improved have might it thinks he if Biker the asks pastor the they have finished, The Biker replies, “I don’t know, it’s not until next Thursday.”

Ode to taxi drivers Whilst driving through the crowded streets of Suva, the taxi driver gets a tap on the shoulder when the passenger wanted to ask him something. The driver screams, loses control of the car, nearly hits a bus, goes up on the pavement and stops inches from a crowded outdoor café. For a second everything goes quiet, then

the driver says, “Please, don’t ever do that again. You scared me half to death!” The passenger apologises and adds he didn’t realise that a little tap on the shoulder could scare him so much. The driver replies, “You’re right. I’m sorry. Really, it’s not your fault. Today is my ﬁrst day as a taxi driver, I’ve been driving a hearse for the past 25 years.”

One liners I’m thinking of starting a tribute band with crap musicians. It’s going to be a cross between Dire Straits & Chris Rea, but I’m struggling for a name. ******************** Dear Agony Aunt, My girlfriend says that I never solve my own problems. How do I prove her wrong? ******************** Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

The three engineers

An electrical engineer, chemical engineer and a Microsoft engineer are in a car when it suddenly stops by the side of the road, and the three men look at each other wondering what could be wrong. The electrical engineer suggests stripping down the electronics of the car and trying to trace where a fault might have occurred. The chemical engi neer, not knowing much about cars, suggests that maybe the fuel is becomin g emulsiﬁed and getting blocked somewhere. Then, the Microsoft engineer , not knowing much about anything, comes up with his suggestion: “Why don ’t we close all the windows, get out, get back in, open the windows again, and maybe it’ll work!?”

New Words for 2013.... Get an Inbox Derived from the expression “get a room.” When couples constantly leave romantic, mushy or suggestive messages on each other’s Facebook wall for everyone else to see, someone else may tell them to “get an inbox already.”

Bathroom Stalking The act of lurking outside the bathroom door when another person is using it, usually accompanied by attention-seeking noise or behaviour, ensuring the occupant will acknowledge your presence and hurry up.

Chiptease When you buy a bag of chips (crisps) thinking that it will be full, but when you open the bag it’s half-empty.

Bag Texting When you try not to be rude while you are out with friends by texting with the phone still in your bag, hoping they won’t see it.

Last Chance Undies Your last pair of clean underwear, reminding you that this is your last chance to wear any unless you get your laundry done.

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Appropriate Appr Ap prop pr opri riat iat ate e dres d dress ress s An Englishman, a Scotsman, a Norwegian, a Latvian, a Turk, an Aussie, a Yank, a Fijian, a Tongan, a Samoan, an Egyptian, a Mexican, a Spaniard, a Greek, a Russian, a Kiwi, a German, an Italian, a Pole, a Lithuanian, a Swede, a Finn, an Israeli, a Romanian, a Bulgarian, a Serb, a Czech, a Brazilian, a Canadian, a Korean and a Cook Islander all walk into a restaurant. The bouncer says, “Sorry. I can’t let you in without a Thai.”

Free beer Wallaby team-mates James O’Connor and Quade Cooper are adrift in a lifeboat. While rummaging through the boat’s provisions, O’Connor ﬁnds an old lamp. He rubs the lamp and a genie suddenly appears. The genie tells them he can only grant one wish. Without giving much thought to the matter, O’Connor blurts out, “Turn the entire ocean into Fosters Lager!” The genie claps his hands with a deafening crash, and immediately the entire sea turns into beer. The genie disappears and only the gentle lapping of beer against the hull breaks the stillness as the two men consider their circumstances. Cooper turns to O’Connor and says, “Nice going mate! Now we’re going to have to piss in the boat.”

IN MID-2013 AIR PACIFIC WILL BECOME FIJI AIRWAYS BUT YOU CAN EXPERIENCE OUR NEW A330 FLYING TO AND FROM NADI FROM APRIL.

JUNE 2013