Sitiveni Rabuka Wants Answers from Rugby House

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka will make the call to meet with the Fiji Rugby Union if the national rugby body does not make the move.

This is regarding the national men’s sevens side’s failure to win a HSBC SVNS title the past 19 tournaments under head coach Ben Gollings.

Rabuka, a former national rep, said rugby is crucial to Fiji and the team’s performance has raised a lot of questions as the national coach is being paid by Government through the coaching grant allocated to the Fiji National Sports Commission.

“Because rugby and sports form a very important part of Fiji’s international relations and our own social development, we must have an input into their thinking,” Rabuka said.

“They (Fiji Rugby Football Union Trust Board) have not called for a meeting, if they do not call in the next few days we will call; Government will call.

“How well or how not well are we performing? Are we just basing everything on results? Why have we achieved those results? Is that our best effort? Those will have to have come up in the discussion between Government, management and also the hands of participants in the training and development of our players.“

Filipo Bukayaro tries to stop the Spanish player who sealed their win over Fiji in the Cup quarterfinals during the Los Angeles 7s tournament. Photo: World Rugby

“The Fiji Airways Fijian 7s team acknowledges the disappointment felt by fans, players and coaches alike for not securing more tournament victories on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens series. Despite this, the team remains resolute in their commitment to excellence and their goal of clinching the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games,” the release stated.

“On the same note, Fijiana players and coaches recognise that the current ranking is influenced by the quality of competition.

“To improve performance, the side intends to increase its player pool and implement robust systems to track and monitor player performance.”

The next HSBC leg is on April 5-7, 2024 in Hong Kong.

Feedback: sosiveta.korobiau@fijisun.com.fj