Fiji Under 16s stand up to the test in Australia.

The Vodafone Fiji Under 16s have returned from the Australian Junior Rugby Championship (JRC) on the Gold Coast achieving improved results for the 2018 tournament.

The Masi Saqanavere coached side played four games across the week against NSW 2, QLD, the ACT Brumbies and Western Force, recording one draw, one win and two losses.

Elite Pathways Manager Bill Gadolo says the country should be proud of the boys effort as they test themselves against Australia’s best in their age group.

“The the boys handled the tournament well, facing new challenges such as one day turn arounds and combatting some injury towards the end of the week.” he said.

“We selected players who could cover several positions and they stepped up to cover, which was a real bonus”

After a strong start with the 7 all draw against NSW in game one, the Fijians were handed a couple of tough lessons against the experience QLD and ACT teams before fighting back to beat the Force at the end of the week.

“It was a holistic tour experience for the boys, especially the two games where they lost, they were able to turn around those two heavy losses, show some strong spirit, pick themselves back up again and win.  That was a big learning experience.” said Gadolo.

“When you’re telling the boys that the level of rugby here in Fiji (at Deans) is not as strong as whats out there (overseas);  it doesnt get through to them until they experience it for themselves.”

“You can’t replicate in Fiji the different styles of play that that the boys met over the two weeks, because here we all play simiarly, so it’s such a big learning for the boys to understand the different styles of play.”

“During some of the matches the boys experienced things they’ve never seen on the field, where the opposition were attacking them from different places and the best way to learn is to go through it on field and if you fail, you get up and learn for the next time.”

For many of the touring teenagers the trip to Queensland, Australia was a first experience at international travel and the expectations of high performance in the elite team environment, a challenge which Gadolo says took some time to overcome.

“The biggest eye opener for the players was the ability to travel out of their own environment and into a new one, overseas.”

“The travel itself is exciting, so the first couple of days is just tempering that excitement, adjusting to the environment, the food and the facilities.”

“Also the nutrition, it’s the first time these boys have had nutritional guidelines implemented, and they’re used to the quanitity and types of food that they eat at home, so when we enforce particiularly the quantity guidelines, it can be challenging for them.”

“It’s a great part of their learning and one of the biggest advantages these boys will have in their age group against those not in the elite pathway programme (EPP).”

Prior to departure the EPP team had identified a goal to improve on the standings from 2017 and Head Coach Masi Saqanavere was able to deliver on this goal, in a positive boost for Fiji’s national coaching development.

“We were really impressed with Masi’s contribution to the team and how he got everyone together.” said Gadolo

“Our coach development pathway lacks depth, but he (Masi) is someone the FRU should take continue to invest in, retain to get consistency in this programme.”

“He knows the expectations for the tournament and programme and speaks the language that we are implementing across all levels of the high performance athlete development programme.

Despite the short tournament and high workload the young Fijians were able to enjoy a touch of Australian hospitality during their stay on the Gold Coast, being hosted by members of the Australian Army Rugby Union who recently returned from their game in Fiji against the RFMF.

“The Australian Army were really great.  We went there after the second loss and it was good for the boys to get out of the dorm and see something different.” recalled Gadolo.

“They handled some weapons and were really well looked after, so it was fun for the boys.”