Fiji awaits tier one status confirmation from World Rugby
Acting FRU CEO Koli Sewabu also said that the official announcement would be made soon.
Monday 18 August 2025 | 19:30
The Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) is awaiting official confirmation from World Rugby regarding its Tier One status.
Despite Fiji’s schedule to play against Tier One nations next year, board chairman John Sanday said no formal announcement has been made about joining the Tier One list.
“That initial comment of Tier One status came from (Flying Fijians head coach) Mick Byrne,” Sanday said.
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“I can't make any comment about it as I am bound by a confidentiality agreement not to say anything until the formal announcement is made. In that light I will not comment.”
However, Sanday said he would encourage everyone to start acting, behaving and talking like a Tier One nation.
“That Tier One attitude, standards and etiquette should be a part of our rugby as we march towards it.
“I continually remind everyone of this very important message that tier one is not only about consistent high performance on the field, but most importantly is the high performance within FRU head office and also with all unions and affiliates.”
He added that debates, discussions and chats should be also Tier One in analysis and expressing point of views.
“We should focus on the issues and stay away from personalities - in rugby parlance, play the ball, not the person. We can get good growth if we can openly debate issues and not personalise things.”
“Running any rugby union and more so, one like ours in the islands and far away from major rugby markets is a challenge in every respect. It's not easy dealing with over a registered player population in excess of 100,000 from primary school to Skipper Cup and beyond.”
He urged for support and prayers for the board as they move into their 10 months of operation.
“I reiterate that we have a world class board and we need time together to gel properly and to continue to deliver good solid growth to Fiji Rugby.
“We can feel the power of prayer and support from the Fiji community this far and thankful for it. Prayer with hard work will produce results, but this will take time.
“My only last comment is that for the Flying Fijians to win the Rugby World Cup, we all have to be united on a single goal.
Sanday added that the new board has been working tirelessly to prove to the rugby fans and supporters that we would want to reconnect and earn their trust.
“Your trust can only be earned by hard work and delivering on our promises. The results are starting to emerge and we won't rest on our laurels but continue to put in the hard work and make the tough decisions. We want our results to do the talking for us.”
Meanwhile, acting FRU chief executive officer Koli Sewabu also said that the official announcement would be made soon.
