Kamea calls for cultural challenge at Rugby League World Cup

A call has been made for the Fiji National Rugby League (FNRL) board to adopt a cultural challenge such as the Cibi or iBole at this year’s Rugby League World Cup.

The call came from Culden Kamea, widely regarded as the Father of Rugby League in Fiji, who also received a Lifetime Membership award during the FNRL Annual General Meeting.

Speaking at the AGM, Kamea said it was time to move away from the singing of the hymn Oqo na Noqu Masu (This Is My Prayer) before matches.

The Rugby League World Cup will be held from October 15 to November 15 and will be co-hosted by Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

“I disagree with the singing of the hymn on the field,” Kamea said.

“I spoke with Senirusi Seruvakula, the interim head coach of the Flying Fijians, and asked his opinion. He told me that we all pray, all Pacific players pray.”

Kamea said players could pray and read the Bible in their own time.

“When you come to the changing room and go out to play, that’s war because you’re going to fight,” he said.

“That’s why Papua New Guinea (PNG) Kumuls is beating us by 50 points and in our time we never lost to PNG.”

Kamea said repeated losses to PNG were damaging the Fiji Bati brand.

“In the World Cup, you see players crying during their national anthem because they are soldiers going to war,” he said.

“When you go on the field, you fight for your flag, family. Don’t come and sing on the field, it’s the wrong mindset.”

The FNRL had adopted the cultural challenge Quruquruvatu in the late 1990s.

The challenge was composed by Fijian historian Ratu Manoa Rasigatale. Quruquruvatu is a traditional Fijian war dance performed by the Fiji Bati before matches as a pre-match challenge to intimidate opponents.

It was famously led by Bati captain Lote Tuqiri during the 2000 Rugby League World Cup in England.

Before the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, the FNRL board replaced Quruquruvatu with the singing of the hymn after receiving feedback from players.

The change coincided with the Bati’s most successful World Cup era. Fiji reached the semi-finals for the first time in 2008 and also made the semi-finals in 2013 and 2017, including a memorable 4-2 quarter-final victory over New Zealand in 2017.