Amenoni Nasilasila

Oceania Rugby says it is disappointed that former national rep Amenoni Nasilasila took part in a scrimmage session against Tuvalu this week.

Nasilasila was sentenced to eight years imprisonment last week for rape and turned heads when he appeared for Wardens in a scrimmage against Tuvalu.

Tuvalu is in Fiji preparing for the Oceania 7s next week.

Oceania Rugby says it condemns violence against women and girls and reaffirms its long-term commitment to promoting improved gender equality in rugby.

It says the scrimmage session between Tuvalu and the Wardens team occurred outside of the Oceania Rugby Sevens tournament window, so we, therefore, were not aware of Nasilasila’s involvement with the Wardens Team.

Oceania Rugby further says in light of this it has advised all participating teams to make right decisions in the interest of the tournament and its legacy and advocacy programs.

The body says it is extremely disappointed that Nasilasila has been connected with unofficial scrimmage sessions, as Oceania Rugby strongly advocate action to reject all forms of abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls across all its member unions.

Wardens and Fiji Corrections officials are yet to comment on the matter.