Vilisi Tivalele’s sporting life has been transformed in less than 12 months. The former netball player, who only tried rugby after returning from a netball tour in Samoa last year, has been picked up by the McDonald’s Fijian Drua Women as they build towards the 2026 Super W season.
Tivalele began her rugby journey with the Nadroga women’s side after that Samoa trip. “I just started rugby last year as soon as I came back from the netball tour in Samoa,” she said, admitting that rugby had never been part of her original sporting plans. Her impact at provincial level was swift: strong performances for Nadroga led to selection into the Fiji Rugby Union’s High Performance Unit (HPU), where she moved into a daily gym and training routine that accelerated her development.
That fast track delivered further rewards. Tivalele represented Fijiana at this year’s Oceania Championship, and it was her showings there that brought her to the attention of Drua selectors. “From there I participated well, and then I got a contract from the Drua,” she said. The rookie forward’s ascent from a late code-switcher to a contracted player with Fiji’s top professional women’s side highlights the growing pathways available to women’s rugby in Fiji.
Joining a professional environment was not without nerves. “I was a little bit scared coming to this level and meeting new girls,” Tivalele conceded. But she says she is settling into life within the Drua setup and embracing the challenge of adjusting to the standards and demands of an elite program. Her background in elite netball — and the athleticism that comes with it — has clearly helped her adapt quickly to rugby’s physical and tactical demands.
The Drua Women open their Super W campaign against the NSW Waratahs on March 6, 2026, a marquee fixture that will test the side as they seek to build on the franchise’s wider growth in Pacific rugby. The selection of a rapid-developing player like Tivalele underscores how the Drua and national pathways are mining talent beyond traditional junior rugby routes and converting cross-code athletes into elite rugby players.
Tivalele’s story arrives as the Fijian Drua brand continues to gain recognition for fast progress in both men’s and women’s competitions. Observers and former internationals have lauded the Drua’s rise in recent seasons, and the integration of players like Tivalele reflects a continuing emphasis on development programs, HPU support, and talent identification that can deliver players to professional ranks in a short timeframe. For Tivalele, the next step will be to translate her rapid rise into on-field influence when the Super W season kicks off in March.