Mataiasi Stark 
Supporting grassroots rugby is the main reason the Fiji Bitter Nawaka 7s has increased its number of participating teams this year.
Tournament director Jeff Tamata says the competition has expanded from 88 teams to 100 teams to ensure more community-based sides are given the opportunity to take part.
“From 88 teams, we have moved up the number of teams to a hundred. We’re going back to the main reason of our tournament which is helping grassroots teams. These 12 teams that we’ve included are grassroots teams so we didn’t want to close the door to them.”
Tamata says accommodating late entries from smaller teams has always been part of the tournament’s tradition.
“It’s not new, it has always happened in previous years. Teams would ask in the last minute and we would always accommodate.”
The Nawaka 7s begins this Friday and will be broadcast live on FBC TV.
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