Sometimes it was not the result rugby fans had come to see nor one they had expected.

But still the fans remain faithful to the cause year in, year out even though our national reps may not have gotten the job done.

This is for the simple reason that we have only one national team and rugby is our national game.

As 2017 comes to closing, we need to learn and accept that they too make mistakes.

If they didn’t, they would not be human.

Our national rugby teams have had a good season punching above their weight in most cases. And we can only hope that they can excel further and bring good tidings in 2018.

The Fiji Airways Fijian Drua took part for the first time in the Australian National Rugby Championship and instantly made an impact.

While many observers thought the Fijians might take time to adapt, the Senirusi Seruvakula-coached side instead set the tone of the competition from the start.

Reaching the semifinal is a remarkable achievement for our local boys who were up against Super Rugby and Wallaby reps.

The inclusion of the Drua players in the Fiji Airways Flying Fijians Europe Tour in November and in the Fiji Airways Fijian 7s team in the first cluster of the World Sevens Series in Dubai-Cape Town earlier this month is testament of the impact they have made in a short period.

It reflected the development pathway Fiji Rugby Union is pursuing to expose local talents.

We also thank the Australian Rugby Union for allowing a Fijian team to be included in the 2017 National Rugby Championship.

Undoubtedly, Fiji will benefit in the long run in the three-year deal and should be in a good position to be competitive on the international front.

Instead of always resorting and banking on overseas –based players, Fiji Airways Flying Fijians head coach John McKee will have a wider pool of players to choose from for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Definitely, there should be no reason why we should not be more competitive than ever.

McKee not only aims to build depth in the squad but allows the Drua players to put pressure and compete for Test spots with overseas players.

The Flying Fijians have had a remarkable year in the June internationals as we lost to Australia but beat Italy, Scotland, Tonga and Samoa.

In the November internationals we lost to Italy and Ireland and beat Canada. Winning five and losing three is positive indication that rugby is on track as we look forward to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

The Fiji Airways Fijian 7s team is well positioned at third spot going into the Sydney-Hamilton cluster of the World Sevens Series next month.   

They need to follow the processes and eventually they will reap the outcomes. Everyone should be on the same page, everyone should know what is expected of them and this should be translated in the way they play.

2018 is another big year for our national sport and we hope our players continue to fly the flag with pride.

Feedback:  oseab@fijisun.com.fj