Fiji Rugby House Suva Photo: Alex Perrottet/RNZ
Opinion - Nearly twelve months into running the show at the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU), the Trustees Board appointed by the coalition government in 2023 appears to be creating more problems than solutions.
There are now calls for changes in the national sevens coaching team and transparency in the selection of the Flying Fijians head coach.
While fans have been calling for changes to how things have been done in the past 12 months or so, since the take-over and the sacking of the Frank Bainimarama-led FRU board, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is demanding answers.
Last week, local media reported that Rabuka, a former Flying Fijian himself and a current FRU patron, had started questioning why the sevens teams - men's and women's - are not performing as expected.
The men's team have gone without a title win over 19 tournaments in the World Rugby Sevens series.
On Sunday, they received one of the biggest humiliation in the history of sevens rugby in Fiji, losing to Spain at the Los Angeles 7s cup quarterfinals, giving the Spanish side the opportunity to appear in their first-ever semifinal in the world series.
Who would have thought that Fiji 7s would lost to a team that had used Fiji in the past as their training destination?
The Fiji Times reported on Tuesday that Rabuka is now demanding changes to be made by the FRU.
Speaking to the media after the official opening of Parliament on Monday, Rabuka said if FRU failed to call a meeting, then the government would do so.
"Why have we achieved those results? Is that our best effort? Those will have to come in the discussion between government and management." Prime Minister Rabuka said.
Many disappointed rugby fans in Fiji and abroad, including a host of former national 7s reps have voiced their concerns as the team is yet to win a title under the leadership of Englishman Ben Gollings.
The team currently sits third in the HSBC SVNS standings, behind Argentina and Ireland and ahead of New Zealand, australia, France, South Africa and the United States, after five tournaments.
On Sunday, the Stonewriters club, made up of former Fiji sevens reps, called for the FRU to sack Gollings and replace him with former sevens captain Osea Kolinisau.
The FRU has also now called for a meeting with both the men's and women's management teams on Thursday (tomorrow) in Suva.
While the Fiji men's failed to win a tournament title since the Rugby World Cup win in 2022, the women's team, under Saiyasi Fuli has also failed to make any real progress since their 2020 Olympic Games bronze medal win.
Questions are also being asked about whether both teams have the right players.
There have been calls for some changes to be made, especially in the men's team, who will be defending the Olympic Games title in France in late July, early August.
Part of the call is the reinstatement of former playmaker and double Olympic gold winner Jerry Tuwai in the team, plus the inclusion of some Drua players, such as captain Meli Derenalagi and Iosefo Masi.
Review of performances in the past five World Rugby Sevens series tournaments so far confirmed one critical point - players were not mentally fit to perform under pressure - a key area needed for teams to be able to get through the final stages of tournaments they compete in in the World Sevens Series.
Fiji coach Ben Gollings, second left, gestures during the HSBC Rugby Sevens semi-final cup match between Fiji and New Zealand in Singapore on April 9, 2023. Photo: Roslan RAHMAN / AFP
FRU's handling of Flying Fijians head coach
Another issue Fijian rugby fans are holding out against Peter Mazey and his FRU Trustees team is the delay in the naming of the Flying Fijians head coach.
A statement released in Suva on Monday evening from Rugby House said they hope to make the announcement soon.
The statement said the delay is being attributed to the discussions that needed to be done between the FRU, the Fijian government and World Rugby on the successful applicant.
There has been confirmation from the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General Siromi Turaga that he had met with the FRU Trustees three weeks ago, where he had advised them about the Fiji Immigration Act relating to the appointment of local understudies to positions once they have served their due.
That bought into focus the status of acting Flying Fijians head coach Senirusi Seruvakula, who had acted as the understudy or assistant to three coaches in the past eight years.
Seruvakula was not shortlisted initially for the coaching job eventhough he had applied.
He was then later added to the shortlisted applicants and made the final two where he and Fijian Drua coach Mick Byrne were interviewed.
Mazey and the FRU have not responded to questions sent to them over the last three weeks except to release the statement on Monday advising of the delay.
Former Flying Fijians coach Simon Raiwalui, World Rugby's High Performance Pathways and Player Development Manager, has also been involved with the interview and shortlisting selection of the Fiji head coach job.
He confirmed that his role with the world governing body, allows him to be involved with the Pacific unions on the shortlisting and interviewing of coaches in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, who by the way are all in the process of securing new coaches as well.
"All run their own process. I will assist where needed and requested, shortlisting or interview panel as I did with Fiji," Raiwalui confirmed.
Raiwalui had told RNZ Pacific last month that one of the critical component of coaches selected for the island natins must be their understanding of the culture, the people, values and rugby history.
It is also something that the FRU said was important in their statement.
With that in mind, it seems that Seruvakula would have been given the nod but for World Rugby to agree to that now.
The FRU will now need to work faster as the Flying Fijians have a busy year ahead with a game against the Barbarians in England in June before the Test against the All Blacks in San Diego in early July.
They then have the Pacific Nations Cup series against Canada, Japan, Samoa, the United States of America and Tonga in August-September.
If Rabuka's call is any indication of the urgency the government of the day is placing on how things are being conducted within Valekau (FRU HQ) in Suva then Mazey and his group will need to up their response.
Fiji and rugby fans are waiting.
