The latest development in Fiji’s rugby season is as stark as it is avoidable: the Fijian Drua have failed to pick up a single bonus point in the past eight rounds, a drought matched only by Moana Pasifika. That statistic, highlighted in a letter to the editor this week from Shalwyn Prasad of Nabua, underlines a worrying inability to finish tightly contested matches — the Drua have narrowly lost five fixtures this campaign and, as Prasad points out, could easily be sitting in the top six if they had secured a handful of bonus points.
Prasad argues the shortfall is more than bad luck. The Drua’s shortcomings appear to extend to game management in the final minutes and, crucially, goal-kicking — conversions and penalties that in the modern professional era often decide one- or two-point margins. He calls for a technical review and possibly a kicking specialist within management, and questions whether the current set-up is extracting consistent performance or relying too heavily on head coach Glen Jackson’s weekly inspiration. With the club’s fortress reputation at Churchill Park now under examination after a cliff-hanger against the Western Force, the call is for the Drua to recalibrate focus from spectacle and home advantage to the small, repeatable details that win tight contests.
Amid the scrutiny of team performance there was a brighter, ground-level development at the Drua’s narrow 24-22 victory over the Force on Saturday. Year 9 student Vaibhavi Deo of Adi Cakobau School served as a water carrier during the match — an experience that has been celebrated by her father, former CFL journalist Dhanjay Deo, and local letter-writer Rajnesh Ishwar Lingam. Vaibhavi carried out the role alongside referees Damon Murphy and Jordan Way and says she aspires to become an international match official, citing Australia’s Angus Gardner as her role model. Her involvement is notable for what it signals about access and diversity in Fiji rugby: Lingam suggests Vaibhavi is close to becoming the first female Fijian of Indian descent to step into refereeing pathways that could one day lead to officiating top-tier internationals.
The letters section also reflected on cultural losses and civic frustration this week. Suresh Chand of Nadi noted the poignant symmetry between two titans of Indian music: Lata Mangeshkar, who died in 2022, and her younger sister Asha Bhosle, who passed away exactly four years later on a Sunday. Chand’s reflection underscores how moments of national mourning can arrive in quick succession and remain deeply felt in Fiji’s vibrant Indo-Fijian communities.
On the practical side of daily life, ongoing traffic hazards at Nadi junctions drew fresh complaint from Vineel Nand. Buses and minibuses stopping at roundabouts or just short of designated bus bays — often at peak times — are creating standstills and dangerous pedestrian crossings behind large vehicles. Nand has urged the Land Transport Authority and police to increase monitoring around Nadi junctions during peak hours to improve traffic flow and protect passengers, particularly children.
Taken together, these letters frame a single lesson: whether in rugby, public safety or cultural life, small, concrete actions — a reliable kicker, clearer enforcement of traffic rules, pathways for young officials — can have outsized effects. For the Drua, the season’s next stretch offers a chance to translate narrow lessons into tangible points; for Vaibhavi and others, it demonstrates the importance of building inclusive routes into the game’s future.
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