EDITORIAL: Junior Flying Fijians Need An FRU Rethink
The recent dismal results of our Vodafone Fijian Under-20 national rugby team has left more than a few rugby pundits scratching their heads.
What you sow is what you reap, the biblical adage goes. The fifth place finish in the second tier shows the neglect of investment in our training and rugby academies for elite young rugby players.
How we lost to Georgia, who are not even an international rugby force, is anyone’s guess. This should have been our tournament. However, the problem is systemic and we should not be calling for any of the team manager’s heads to roll.
Let’s focus on reviving our rugby academies, as Vodafone Flying Fijians head coach John McKee, strongly recommended after the team’s losses at the World Rugby U20 Trophy in Portugal.
Given the success of Ben Ryan and the Vodafone Fijian 7s team, the benchmark for international rugby success has been set quite high. It all comes down to leadership. There’s no point in crying over spilt milk. Let’s regroup, ensure we don’t make the mistakes of the past year.
We also need to put in place a leadership structure that allows for the best management practices to be implemented in the running of our U-20 rugby programme.
Our young players deserve the best mentoring and training there is to offer. We shouldn’t be left to scratch our heads over their losses. With good leaders in place, we should be commending them for their wins.
