Fiji rejoins World Rugby Board with ‘new constitution and governance structure’

World Rugby has reinstated the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) as a member of its board of governors, nearly 15 months after it was suspended from membership due to “governance challenges”.

The decision was confirmed at a World Rugby executive committee meeting late last month.

World Rugby posted on Twitter: “Fiji has been reinstated to the World Rugby Board with immediate effect following the Executive Committee’s approval of the Fiji Oversight Committee’s recommendation to reinstate the federation.”

It added: “This is a new constitution and governance structure adopted in accordance with the necessary roadmap outlined in May 2023.”

Last year, after the coalition government took over, the FRU was removed from the council and an interim committee was appointed to develop a new constitution and systems.

“The FRU will continue to work hard to uphold the values ​​and standards expected of World Rugby,” the league said in a statement on Wednesday.

FRU interim board chairman Peter Mazey said they were very excited about the news.

“We are very grateful to World Rugby for their support and the commitment shown by our stakeholders during this process,” Maze said.

“Our adoption of a new constitution and governance framework is testament to our commitment to moving Fijian rugby forward. The resumption of rugby league is not only a win for our league but also for all the players, coaches and fans who have supported us during this time.

He said this would allow the federation to “strengthen its links with the global rugby community and continue its mission to grow the game of rugby in Fiji”.

He said the FRU looked forward to working with members of the World Rugby Board.

The FRU will now nominate its representative to the World Rugby Board, who will need to be vetted under the World Rugby Integrity Code.

The next step for FRU is to hold its annual general meeting to elect a new board of directors, an election that will be conducted by provincial union members from across the country.

The news comes as the Fiji Flyers prepare to defend the Pacific Nations Cup title they won last year.

Fiji Airways has no players stationed overseas

Flyers head coach Mick Byrne unveiled his roster on Tuesday, but it was devoid of big-name players.

Star players such as Semi Radradra, Waisea Nayacalevu and Josua Tuisova will not be playing.

“Yes, we have a number of overseas players and this is the first time they have not been playing rugby,” he told a news conference on Tuesday.

“Many of our players have personal and family issues to deal with. As you are aware, many of our overseas players returned straight back to their clubs following the Rugby World Cup.

“They have completed their Test against the All Blacks and we look forward to seeing them back again in November.”

Nayakalevu has moved to England from the French club, just like number 8 Villame Mata.

Byrne has instead selected some new faces who will join his squad alongside the Fijian Drua players.

There are six new players in the 30-man roster.

They are Kavaia Tagivetaua, Adrea Cocagi, Vuate Karawalevu, in addition to Fijian Drua players Mesake Vocevoce, Apisalome Vota and Epeli Momo.

Byrne said the six players have proven themselves and deserve to be selected for the national team.

He said with the 2027 Rugby World Cup still three years away, now was the time to develop new players and test them, especially in the absence of overseas representation.

Manu Samoa will face their first PNC match in Suva on August 23 and Byrne said they need to work on their match fitness.

He said they needed to build on their position throughout the season, benchmarking against top tier teams such as the All Blacks, Argentina and the Springboks, who all played in Test matches last weekend.

“That’s the benchmark we want to hit,” he said of the physical performance of the players on these teams.

He said there are still six days of training camp until their first PNC game, which gives them plenty of time to get into game fitness.

But he believes the coaching staff will help the players get through this difficult time.

He said that after playing three games in July, including against the All Blacks, the players on the tour at the time knew what was required of them.

They started camping on Saturday.

“The players from overseas will fly in on Friday and our first day in camp will be Saturday when we will complete all the administrative work, do the medicals, conduct the fitness tests, distribute the equipment and then have the first training session on Sunday afternoon,” he told the media.

Drua vice-captain and hooker Tevita Ikanivere will be the series captain.

Byrne said Ikaniwir has proven himself and continues to grow in a leadership role.

When asked why Drua captain Meli Derenalagi was not considered for the captaincy, Byrne said the former Queen Victoria School player had been relieved of captaincy duties so that he could focus on the game.

They will face Manu Samoa at the HFC Bank Stadium on August 23 at 6pm.

Tonga announces roster of young players

In a similar situation, Ikaletahi also named a young team made up of local players and New Zealand players.

Moana Pacific star players Sione Havili Talitui and William Havili, European No. 8 Vaea Fifita and centre Malakai Fekitoa are all ruled out.

The squad, named by head coach Tevita Tuifua and assistant coach Nili Latu, includes experienced players such as heavyweight props Ben Tameifuna, Tau Koloamatangi, Lotu Inisi, Fine Inisi, Fetuli Paea and Patrick Pellegrini.

Tuifua said many key players were unable to participate because the Thomson River Rugby Club was still training players for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

He said the players would gather in Nuku’alofa on August 19 to start training camp before travelling to Apia to play Manu Samoa on August 30.

Manu Samoa, under new coach Masi Mahonri Schwalger, has spent the past two weeks preparing for the tournament in Apia.

They will travel to Suva next week to meet Fiji on August 23.

World Cup Expansion

Meanwhile, the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia will feature 24 teams, four more than the 20 teams that will be held in France in 2023.

Fiji has already qualified and is one of the 12 teams that have qualified.

Manu Samoa and ‘Ikale Tahi will both be vying for a spot in this tournament.

The good news for them is that the top three teams, excluding Fiji and Japan, will qualify for the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup Series World Series.

The team ranked sixth will also have the opportunity to advance through the make-up match system.

World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “This qualification process is beneficial to the development and sustainable development of rugby as a whole.”

“We are fully committed to respecting the fundamental principle of expanding opportunities and the combination of existing regional competitions, new inter-regional competitions and final qualifiers reflects this ambition and the desire to select teams based on merit.

“Providing certainty for unions in their pursuit of the Australian dream will help teams perfect their preparations and provide fans with an exciting path to the 2027 Rugby World Cup next year, when all places will be up for grabs.

“We hope that through this process teams will qualify for the first edition of the National Championships Division Two, which will commence in 2026. The main advantage of this will be to ensure that all teams have strong, high-level competition and preparation ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, thereby raising the global standard.”

World Rugby said the redefined process was developed following extensive consultation with World Rugby’s six regional associations and builds on the World Rugby Board’s decision in October 2023 to expand the tournament from 20 to 24 teams, reflecting the sport’s mission to drive global growth.

World Rugby said all qualifiers would be completed by the end of 2025, a first for the men’s Rugby World Cup, and all teams would be announced ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw and the 2026 men’s Six Nations Championship.

The new format will be divided into 6 groups, 4 teams in each group, and add a round of 16 before the quarter-finals. This will shorten the competition window from 7 weeks to 6 weeks.