Four Fijian Drua players have flown to South Korea to begin a three-month exchange with Hyundai Glovis, the club confirmed on Monday, marking the latest push by the Drua to give young talent international exposure and accelerate their development pathway.
The quartet is led by Swire Shipping Drua main-squad member Aisea Nawai and includes three members of the Drua Development squad — halfback Adam Khan, Kalioni Ratunabuabua and Joweli Walevu. During their stint they will feature for Hyundai Glovis’ club side, training and playing in a different rugby environment designed to broaden their skill sets and match experience.
Khan, who earned the call-up from the development ranks, described his selection as a shock in the best sense. “I was very grateful and speechless when I heard the news. I’m really happy for the opportunity and looking forward to the experience,” he said. Khan added that he expects the overseas spell to help him grow in the halfback role and to expose him to a different style of rugby. He also said travelling with teammates he already has a strong bond with will make the transition easier and help them represent the Drua well while abroad.
The exchange is scheduled to last three months, after which the players are expected to return to Fiji with the added experience to further their progress within the Drua system. The move follows the club’s ongoing emphasis on building a talent pipeline that gives promising players competitive minutes and overseas exposure as part of their development strategy.
Back home, the Drua Development squad will play their final match of the season as a curtain-raiser to the Swire Shipping Drua’s home fixture against the ACT Brumbies. The development side faces Ba Rugby at 12:30pm at 4R Goving Park in Ba, ahead of the Drua’s 3:35pm kick-off later that day. Fans can watch the Drua versus Brumbies match live on FBC Sports.
This exchange comes amid a broader trend of Pacific rugby pathways leveraging club partnerships overseas to strengthen domestic talent. For the Drua, sending a blend of a senior squad player and development prospects to Hyundai Glovis is the latest concrete step in that approach, aiming to return players who can contribute immediately to provincial and club competitions, and eventually to the franchise’s Super Rugby ambitions.
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