Mataiasi Stark 
Inoke Ravuiwasa after today's training session.
After years of working his way through club rugby in Australia and Fiji, prop Inoke Ravuiwasa is finally seeing the rewards of his sacrifice.
The former Suva and Police front-rower has enjoyed a breakthrough month, earning a Fijian Drua contract for next season and a place in the Flying Fijians squad for the Pacific Nations Cup.
Ravuiwasa’s rugby journey has taken him through Australia’s club scene, the Skipper Cup, provincial rugby and the Skipper Select side that faced the Drua in a pre-season match. Last week, he also featured for Taveuni in the Skipper Cup.
The powerful prop says reaching this level has been a long-held dream.
“Firstly, I just want to thank God for giving me this talent. It’s been a long time coming, all the sacrifices and the dream to one day reach this level. I’m grateful to God for this opportunity.”
Ravuiwasa also paid tribute to his family, particularly his wife and children, for supporting him throughout the journey.
“I just want to thank my family, my wife and my kids for their prayers that have brought me this far.”
While he is one of the newer faces in the Flying Fijians setup, Ravuiwasa says he is comfortable in the environment having previously trained alongside a number of the players.
“This is not new to me. One time we used to train together and it’s not new, but I’m grateful to be here with them again and to represent our country.”
Now, after years of persistence and hard work, Ravuiwasa finds himself on the brink of both a professional and international rugby career.
