Drua move positive

PLAYING in the Super Rugby is a positive step for Fiji rugby, says former Fiji 7s captain and coach Waisale Serevi.

Serevi said playing in the Super Rugby would allow our players time to play together as a team as it had always been a problem for the Fiji 15s.

The Gau man said one question he had always been asked on numerous occasions by rugby fans overseas was why the Fiji 15s team was not as successful as the Fiji 7s team.

“I tell them because in 7s we stay together and play together, whereas in 15s, we always struggle to find time together,” he said.

Serevi, who now lives in the USA, is in the country with his family for a short visit.

Serevi said time together was always a key factor in 15s and was something that always hindered Fiji ahead of international tests.

The World Rugby Hall of Famer said when it came to international Tests; the time frame to bring the Flying Fijians together was always limited with Fiji’s professional base spread over multiple European clubs.

“For example France, they play in the Six Nations and autumn Tests then the winter Tests, but for us, we are coming in one week or one month before the Rugby World Cup, and that is the biggest challenge.”

Serevi added the Fiji Drua’s entry was a breath of fresh air and paved a path to better competition.

“The only way for us to get better in 15s rugby is to play together in competitive competitions like Super Rugby, and it’s a great way for local players, and if we can rope in some overseas players as well, we would be good.”

Serevi was hosted by students and teachers of Suva Methodist Primary School in Toorak yesterday.