Local rugby coaches who hold World Rugby Level 3 qualifications are set to gain a significant opportunity to work with Tier One teams. This announcement was made by Fiji Rugby Union’s interim Trustees chairman, Peter Mazey, during a recent interview with SUNsports.
Mazey shared that more coaches are anticipated to be involved in this program soon. He emphasized the valuable experience local coaches will gain while working alongside some of the world’s top rugby teams.
This development follows the news that Saiasi Fuli, coach of the Fiji women’s rugby sevens team, plans to resign in order to focus on coaching fifteens rugby. Fuli had previously led Suva Rugby to victory in the Skipper Cup and Farebrother-Sullivan Trophy and was an assistant coach for the Fijian Drua during their triumph in the Australia National Rugby Championship in 2018. He later coached the Fiji women’s rugby sevens team, which won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but struggled at the Paris Olympics.
Mazey highlighted the necessity of providing national coaches, particularly local ones, with the chance to learn from Tier One nations. He noted existing agreements with rugby teams from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and England, and mentioned a new arrangement with France that would allow some local coaches to serve as understudies.
This exposure will enable these coaches to learn new techniques and methodologies, with Mazey expressing hope that this initiative will cultivate future national coaches from within Fiji.