FRU chairman demands accountability

For the first time, the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) is hosting all their Nations Championship matches in the United Kingdom (UK).

It’s a big step forward for a Pacific Island nation, who is now ranked in the Tier One.

After the Nations Championship opener, we spoke to Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) board chairman John Sanday on Sunday of how things went in Cardiff during the first week.

The journey and the challenges (on and off the field) they have encountered and how they could improve in the remaining Test matches against England in Liverpool, this Sunday followed by Scotland on July 18 in Edinburgh.

SUN: Hosting our first Nations Championship Test match overseas (in the UK) what has been response like?

SANDAY: The response has been truly humbling. For this I mean the response from the Fijian diaspora here and the support and effort they put in to help FRU and Fiji in the momentous journey.

I also must commend the response and well wishes from the Welsh people.

The support of the Fijian diaspora and the Fiji Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Fiji High Commission in London has been really outstanding.

I salute His Excellency, High Commissioner Jovilisi Suveinakama for the volume and quality of work he and his staff have provided. I just want to personally say thank you and vinaka vakalevu to all for that.

SUN: In terms of gate takings in Cardiff, what are the indications like? Are we going to get a profit or break even?

SANDAY: We haven’t reconciled the numbers yet. But my honest view it is a loss.

We have made-up some good revenue from other parts of the game we could sell, so once we tally up we will know.

SUN: What are some urgent matters the FRU board wants to see improved in this weekend’s Test match against England?

SANDAY: The philosophy I have brought into FRU is the principle of accountability. We are all accountable for our roles and responsibilities to bring about a better outcome for the whole FRU.

The players have been well-looked after and paid well, where is the Return on Investment? This is the urgent question.

I have said right from the outset, this FRU I am running is a business. Moreso, the Rugby Nations Cup tournament is a business. So we have to approach it strictly in a business way.

The accountability questions will be asked.

SUN: How are the ticket sales like in Liverpool and Edinburgh?

SANDAY: Ticket sales for the game against England have been very good. We are sure to make a profit there. We still have about 5000 more tickets to sell and should be sold this week. Either way we have already gone well, past the break even point.

For the Edinburgh match ticket sales are rolling well, we have sold more than half and also looking positive.

Let me say, that from the outset, the game against Wales was always the challenge in terms of ticket sales. I have stated this repeatedly in my statements and it has rightly turned out that way.

When you look at the non-financial returns from the week and the day, it has been an astounding success.

The community coming together, the game day entertainment, how the Welsh people were full of praises for Primanavia and last night’s (Saturday) after match function with Paradise Rootz to see the people and community coming together as a family was truly something I was proud of.

SUN: What are some of the new learnings for the FRU board for taking such great initiative?

SANDAY: The main learning was through last week’s work and yesterday’s game day performance is that we have the capability to turn on a world class event.

I think our pre match show made the BBC News and it was impressive.

The major learning is that we need a winning Flying Fijian team to make this business a success. Ticket sales will always be stronger if the team is winning or displays a winning attitude.

SUN: Your ‘personal view’ of what had transpired in Wales during the first week and also the Flying Fijians losing 39-24 to the Welsh?

SANDAY: When I weigh up all the effort that has been put in to deliver a game day experience, the loss and the way we lost the game was disappointing.

I would like to remind us all the Board has worked very long hours and invested all our capabilities to deliver these three games, and we haven’t gotten one cent in remuneration.

Those that are very well-paid, from the management to the players need to look at themselves. in the mirror and be honest.

I personally don’t accept sub-par performance. The return on investment on the Wales match was minus. A poor return all around.

My major learning from yesterday’s (Saturday) outcome was that we must relook at the organizational culture.

We are not demanding high peformance enough from everyone in the organisation. We need to hold each other accountable and deliver the wins we have been searching for consistently.

This is not a picnic trip where one just goes through the motions, gets paid and then repeat it next week.

We sometimes are too nice to each other and don’t want to confront the bitter truth.

The journey to success and the maintenance of success is not for the feint-hearted. It requires honest accountability from everyone to everyone in the organisation.

We seem to be still stuck in Tier 2 in our attitude and approach to the game yesterday (Saturday). This has to change and change quickly.

On the bright side, the financial projections for the entire series is still intact.

Yesterday (Saturday) was a loss but overall we are still in line for a surplus and we have made sure we immunised the project from major downside risk.

I, as the leader take full responsibility for this loss.

We now set our sights on the next game and we regather ourselves and reset our focus.

The hill climb gets steeper from here on but it is not unachievable. We need to dig deep and step up.