Leading Rugby and Rugby Development Workshop

Fiji Rugby Union Development Unit held the first ever Leading Rugby and Development workshop for the provincial unions in the country at Outrigger last week. The two day event was opened by the FRU President and Hon Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama.

Funded by World Rugby, Unions that attended included all major unions including schools and women’s rugby. Only three board members, Max Olsson, Bill Singh and Jay White stayed for the full two days.

Leading Rugby and Rugby Development Workshop

The workshop aimed to deliver modules specific to the needs of Fiji’s provincial Unions. To assist the unions in becoming High Performance Sporting Organizations by providing tools and best practice to implement appropriately enhanced governance and administrations systems.

In the first day, the discussions focused on the current positions of unions, strategic direction and key challenges while the second day was on great leadership through strategy, governance, people and systems.

Fifteen’s coach John McKee and 7s coach Ben Ryan also addressed the participants.

Mckee emphasized on the Long term player development. What needs to be done from entry level up to national levels? Unions, clubs, schools plays a big role in delivering a complete player for national team.

From entry level, players should be taught the right techniques in passing, running into spaces, quick receive and turnovers, skills execution, quick balls from rucks and fitness. Players are also clear on what their roles are in their respective positions.

He also talked about the different level of coaching which are Train to Win, Train to compete, Train to Train and Fundamentals.

For the current 7s team, Ben Ryan said they are at the train to compete level, where 50% fundamental skills level and 50% to prepare for competition.

“At the highest level, it is vitally important they are able to think clearly under pressure and also accurately execute under pressure when they have too,” Ryan said.

He also said that they are constantly practicing passing and tackling technique.

“The same passing technique you teach a 14 or 15 year old in school, I’m doing with Osea and all those boys to make sure we have core skills.”

In sevens he said it is all about short speed, quick repeats high intensity training.

“Our players are gymnastically, incredibly gifted and we need to work on our fitness level to be higher than anybody else in elite rugby.”

Both national coaches spoke on their respective programmes and now a way forward on how all unions can contribute in lifting the standard of our game locally and internationally.

FRU General Manager Tony Thorpe highlighted the importance of all working together for the better good of Fiji Rugby.

“What can we all bring to Fiji Rugby?” Mr Thorpe said. “We can only give what we can, we don’t have the resources that we want to have but the reality is we can achieve a lot of things without some of the resources that we want.”

“It’s not about what you done or where you are now but what you will look like in three to four years’ time.”

“How will you contribute to Fiji Rugby from grassroots, schools, women’s rugby, sevens and fifteens?”

The workshop was geared towards mapping out strategic plans and development programmes based on all inputs from all participants on how to move together forward as a team to produce world class players, better coaches and referees.

Rugby Service Manager Oceania Bruce Cook said, the main objective is to bring together key executive representatives from Fiji’s Provincial Unions to collaborate on ways to improve how to deliver rugby programs in Fiji and its provinces.