Nabura follows her sister into Drua’s dream

Watching her elder sister Fulori Nabura train and play for the McDonald’s Fijian Drua Women inspired Ivamere Rokowati Nabura to chase the same dream.

The Nakorosule, Naitasiri native, who also has maternal links to Mavua, Ruwailevu in Nadroga, says earning a place in the Drua squad this season is the reward for years of sacrifice and hard work.

“This is my first time to be part of the Fijian Drua and the journey has not been easy,” Nabura said during the Drua Women’s content day at the club headquarters yesterday.

“It was always my dream to join the Drua because I was already playing for the Fijiana. Watching my sister play for the Drua motivated me because I would always see her training and competing.”

The 25-year-old naval able seawoman said the coverage and photos of the Drua Women pushed her to work even harder toward earning a jersey.

“There were a lot of girls competing for positions, we were all working toward the same goal,” she said.

“I went to the Oceania Championship and then the Test matches. From there, I decided I really wanted to play for the Drua.”

Nabura recalled the moment Drua Women head coach Mike Legge hinted that she had secured a place in the squad following Fiji’s Oceania Championship match against Samoa in Ba.

“Coach Mike shook my hand and hugged me after the game,” she said.

“At first, I didn’t understand why he was congratulating me. Later I realised the next step after Oceania was joining the Drua squad. I thank coach Mike because this marks my first season with the team.

“My dream has finally come true, but it doesn’t end here.”

Nabura is the second youngest in a family of 10 and comes from a strong sporting background. Her older brothers include former Fiji Under-20 representative and former Highlanders player Tevita Nabura, while Ratu Meli Turagaca currently plays rugby in France.

She made her debut for the Fijiana XV side in 2019 before later joining the Fijiana 7s programme, where she was part of the Fiji women’s sevens team that won silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

“My parents always told me to make rugby work so I could support myself,” she said.

“I joined the Navy and focused on work while rugby became secondary for a while. But I realised rugby was another talent I had, so I continued balancing both before deciding to fully commit to rugby.”

Nabura had attended St Joan of Arc School before later moving to Sigatoka Methodist College. She plays as a utility back in sevens rugby and forward in the 15-a-side game.

Rugby talent runs deep in the family, with her father Tevita Nabura a Nadroga Rugby rep, while her mother Marica Nai played netball for Nadroga.

Nabura also made an immediate impact during the Drua Women’s pre-season clash against the NSW Waratahs Women last Saturday, coming off the bench to slot the conversion that secured a 27-all draw at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.

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