Rokovereni to Officiate at World Sevens Series
Tevita Rokovereni has become the only second Fijian after James Bolabiu to be part of the full HSBC World Rugby Men’s Sevens Series circuit from next season which kicks off in Dubai on December 3.
Fans will witness the 33-year-old referee part of the 10 legs, either officiating the match or being an assistant referee for the next four years. The Matamaivere, Tailevu, native said his hard work has paid off, and is ready to give his best shot from next month.
“We always dream of these opportunities and to referee the big matches and this is time for me to prove and achieve it. Personally, for me, it’s a huge honor representing not only Fiji but the Pacific at top international sevens tournaments,” he said.
Rokovereni joined the Fiji Rugby Referees Association in 2008 and after nine years of hard work he was introduced to the world stage in 2017 where he was part of the four men’s tournament.
“In 2019, I was moved to the women’s where I officiated in five women’s and three men’s tournaments and then in 2020 I was supposed to go to six men’s competition but due to COVID-19, I just went to the Hamilton and Sydney sevens,” he said.
“At the beginning of this year, I was only appointed to two legs which were the Singapore and Vancouver tournaments and those were the only ones because of the
COVID-19 restrictions.
“I knew I had to nail those ones and luckily I did perform and then I was selected for the Commonwealth Games as well as the Rugby World Cup.
“Straight after the World Cup, we got appointed to the new series and I was fortunate to be one of those selected to be part of the whole series moving forward into next year.” Rokovereni added the challenge for him is to put on a consistent performance and try and be at the top level for a number of years.
“I think the key word is consistency. It’s one thing trying to get to the top but staying at that level for a long time is a different story altogether.
“It comes with challenges and without it, we cannot move ahead so for me it’s all about challenging myself, going into the new series it’s about preparing myself for what can I bring onto the table and perform to my best level” said Rokovereni.