FRU launches 2022 Vodafone Fiji Rugby Vanua Championship

The 2022 Vodafone Fiji Rugby Vanua Championship was launched with much more excitement at Albert Park today.

The launch was conducted following a four-hour rules and regulations workshop attended by over 100 representatives of the 16 participating un-ions across Fiji.

Fiji Rugby Union {FRU} Chief Executive John O’Connor thanked Vodafone Fiji Limited for their continued loyal support of the Vodafone Fiji Rugby Va-nua Championship and their commitment to developing rugby at the grass root level.

“I would like to thank Vodafone Fiji Limited for always being by Fiji Rugby’s side when it comes to supporting rugby in the country. This is very encour-aging for all the teams playing in the tournament, as they play to represent their province with pride in this fantastic competition.

FRU acknowledges Vodafone Fiji for its contribution to the operations of the Vodafone Fiji Rugby Vanua Championship for the past four years.

A significant investment that includes the man of match vouchers, playing kit provisions, ball supply and a participating grant of $20,000 for Senior Division and $5000 for the Under-19 category.

The winner of the 2022 Vodafone Vanua Championship will be awarded $10,000. The runner up will be handed $5000.

Vodafone Fiji Chief Marketing Officer Rajnesh Prasad said they are proud of their longstanding and successful partnership with FRU.

“Passion for our Vanua is an important part of our organizational credo which we strengthen through our significant sponsorship investments,” he said.

Prasad added “Our sponsorships boost diverse and wide range of sports from grassroots to international levels, through which we have celebrated many wins.

As we pivot from the global pandemic, we are thrilled to bring the brilliance of the Vanua Championship once again to the fans.

We extend our well-wishers to all the participating teams. We are eager to see the fans enjoy the exciting experiences in the clash of the provinces on the field after a lapse of two years.”

O’Connor said “The Vanua clubs have a lot to play for this year especially after they had no competition due to the second wave of COVID-19 last year.

We expect firepower from the first round of the championship. The unions have been doing their pre-season training well and are eagerly waiting to begin with the competition.”

The winner and runner-up of the 2022 Vodafone Vanua Championship will feature in the Skipper Fiji Rugby Championship next season.

FRU CEO said whilst promotion into the Skipper Cup is the incentive for teams, this Championship provides a battleground week in and week out for the players to enjoy the game they love and play their best rugby.

“Its most accessible for fans with high-class rugby available in all the re-gions where people can truly stand proud for their local heroes and teams”

“We would also like to thank BLK for supplying the playing kits for the 16 participating teams” he added.

Meanwhile, the 16 Unions are divided into four pools and the winner and runner-up qualify for the quarterfinal.

Vodafone Vanua pools: