FRU interim chair Peter Mazey

We let our Fiji Women’s 7s team down on their travel from Fiji to Dubai.

These are the words of Fiji Rugby Union interim chair Peter Mazey, as he issued a public apology to the Fiji Airways Fijiana 7s side, after photos surfaced of members of the team sleeping outside Sydney Airport, en route to the Dubai 7s last year.

Mazey says the men’s team had pre-booked their accommodation at a nearby hotel in Sydney but when Fijiana coach Saiasi Fuli tried to get rooms upon arrival, none were available.

He says as it is usual practice, all the travel and layover accommodation are organized by World Rugby HSBC Tournament team, and they were not aware that Sydney Airport closes at 11 each night.

The FRU interim chair adds that normally the team manager Luse Kotobalavu would attend to any outstanding matters such as booking rooms but regrettably, she was not with the team as she was returning from the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands.

“This route had been taken previously by teams, and it seems that poor planning and communication within Rugby House with World Rugby and across both teams contributed to the women spending time outside the airport.”

Mazey says that since that Dubai 7s trip, the FRU General Manager of High Performance and Women’s High Performance have started meetings with the team managers prior to them leaving for all tournament legs.

Meanwhile, the Fijiana side will be in action this weekend in the Singapore 7s, where they are grouped with Australia, Great Britain and Brazil.

The Fiji Airways men’s side are pooled with Ireland, USA and Great Britain.

You can watch Fiji’s games live on FBC Sports.