Local rugby coaches with World Rugby Level 3 qualifications are set to receive an exciting opportunity to collaborate with Tier One teams. This announcement was made by Peter Mazey, the interim chairman of the Fiji Rugby Union, during an interview with SUNsports on Sunday.
Mazey highlighted that more local coaches will be recruited for the initiative in the upcoming months. “These local coaches will get the opportunity to work with Tier One rugby teams in the world,” he stated.
The announcement comes in light of Fiji women’s rugby sevens coach Saiasi Fuli’s plans to resign in order to focus on coaching fifteens rugby. Fuli has previously led Suva Rugby to victories in the Skipper Cup and Farebrother-Sullivan Trophy, and he was an assistant coach for the Fijian Drua when they clinched the Australia National Rugby Championship in 2018. His tenure as the Fiji women’s rugby sevens coach includes guiding the team to a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, although the current women’s sevens team under his leadership faced challenges at the Paris Olympics.
Mazey expressed the need for local coaches to gain valuable experience, stating that arrangements have been made with various top rugby nations, including Australia, New Zealand, England, and now France, for coaching opportunities. “Being with them for a few months enables them to learn new tricks,” he noted.
He emphasized the importance of continuous learning in life, stating that no one is born with a skill and that this initiative could pave the way for local coaches to eventually take on national coaching roles.