HPU prepares for two-day exciting tournament on the 14th and 16th.

The Elite Player Pathway Academy manager Viliame Gadolo believes that two years of no rugby for the Vodafone Fijian Under-20 and the Fijian Warriors, its time now for the two High Performance teams to have some game time as they begin to prepare for the World Rugby Junior Championship and World Rugby Pacific Championship.

Gadolo said they have been regularly visiting the High Performance Centers and schools as they prepare two teams for two-day competition which is scheduled for 14th and the 16th of this month at the ANZ Stadium.

“We’ve been progressing really well, the players have been engaged in scrimmage games against the School Boys team, the Fiji Police Force and the RFMF teams so there are some good build ups with our return to rugby program and we want to culminate this with our games on the 14th and 16th ,” said Gadolo.

“We’ve got a lot of boys that have been training during the lockdown period and now they’ve been engaged with the games against the Forces and it’s a good build up towards our two days’ series this month.

Gadolo emphasis on the pathway program and how the Fijian Warriors and Fijian Under 20 players will boost the interest of other young individuals in joining the program.

“We also trying to showcase the pathways for our players. So on the day of the competition we will have the kids playing TAG rugby as curtain raise games before the big match between Fijian Warriors and the Under 20’s.

“It is very important for us at the Fiji Rugby Union now with another pathway team created with regards to our Super franchise the Fiji Drua team it is important to have development program grow.

At the end of the day, it’s about building player base and building players who will fit the criteria to play in one of our national teams.

“So we need players that come up the age grade to be committed and be motivated to be able to represent Fiji in the near future” said Gadolo.