What say you to the ‘Bula Round’ buzz?

Bula Round. That’s the buzz word in Super Rugby commentary after our fantastic Fijian Drua sailed through the Hurricanes with a 27-24 win.

Winning in front of a packed HFC Stadium-filled partisan home crowd last Saturday, our Fijian Drua played to the rugby-mad followers’ expectations to end Round 11 on an impressive note.

The team will need to win two more of its four remaining matches to qualify for the quarterfinals and knockout stage.

But finals aside, how exciting and groundbreaking it would be if next year, instead of the Super Round, it was replaced with Bula Round.

As the commentator, who originally opened the discussions, Sean Maloney of Stan Sport pointed: “The infrastructure is there. The stadiums in Suva and Lautoka can hold 15,000 and 11,000 people respectively. The desire for the matches certainly is. It’d be epic.”

Even fellow commentator, Morgan Turinui, said: “Australian and New Zealand rugby have benefited so much from Fiji over the years, it would be awesome to give back and for people here to see just how much Fijians love rugby up close.”

The organisers last year had a lot to learn from the home crowd increasing the home games from two to six this season.

Who’s to say there will be more home games on the Fijian Drua turfs at Churchill Park and the HFC Stadium next year – well that’ll be up to the organisers to decide.

Let’s think of the multiple opportunities and flowon effects that these matches would have for the economy.

From that point of view, let’s take a food vendor for instance. Last year, the food vendor only had one chance to sell his/her product(s) during the match in Lautoka alone.

This year, that opportunity has increased with three more matches. And because of a packed stadium, the chances of securing more customers tripled.

Now if that Bula Round was considered, the income of that vendor would have more than doubled or perhaps increased 10-fold.

It opens a plethora of opportunities for that same vendor from the informal sector to be in the formal sector.

A stable income warrants a loan and so much more. Now if we look at the aspect of sports tourism, think about the early flight and room bookings that our airline and hotels, respectively, can have.

More tourists may extend or fly in earlier to experience the Fijian hospitality outside the stadium.

For instance, the hinterland and outer island experience can be checked off their list-to-do-in-Fiji things.

There is also likelihood of conferences held here coinciding with the Drua home games.

So, let’s give this piece of information to for Super Rugby organisers and the powers that be to start pondering upon.

More Drua home games should undoubtedly be the game-changer, not only for the promotion and appreciation of the sport itself, but to boost Fiji’s economy.