Over the first hurdle for Fiji rugby

IT is encouraging to note that the Fiji Rugby Union has included another Test match for the Flying Fijians next year when we take on the New Zealand All Blacks in Canada.

The agreement between the FRU and the New Zealand Rugby (NZR) was confirmed by the FRU chief executive officer John O’Connor this week.

“Yes, we will face the All Blacks XV in Canada next October, but I will confirm if it’s on the 30th or 31st. It has been approved that we will have a Test against them before the Europe Tour next November,” said O’Connor.

It’s good to know that the FRU has included some interesting Test matches next year that will boost the performance of the Flying Fijians as we build up to the next Rugby World Cup.

O’Connor has been part of talks to try and organise more tests against tier one nations.

We maintain this must happen regularly for the Flying

Fijians to be effective at the top level of the game.

Playing four to five tests every year, mostly against tier two nations are not conducive to raising standards to defeat tier one nations.

We now have the tests against the Australian Wallabies, and the All Blacks before the Europe tour in November next year, when we are expected to play the likes of Wales and the French Barbarians.

We have pushed for this to happen. In fact this must happen if we are to be competitive at the highest level of the game.

This means the governing FRU must pull out all stops and ensure this happens regularly, every year until the RWC 2023.

The next challenge now is for the FRU to start the process of ensuring our top players are available regularly for these tests, and on time, not arriving in Fiji, sometimes just a week before the test.

The FRU has a massive undertaking to try and convince the top clubs of Europe to release our star players in time for these tests.

Understandably there will be the issue of financial returns and return on investment for the clubs concerned.

But no one said this was going to be easy.

It’s good to know that the first hurdle is now been addressed, and we have two top tests lined up next year.

Remember, Wales played 14 top tests in 2016, a year after the RWC 2015, and the Wallabies played 15 top tests in 2016. Both defeated us at RWC 2019.

We say go Fiji, go.