Fiji Rugby is reminding fans that the Fijiana are still on a long-term journey, building step by step to reach the level of the world’s best.

FRU High Performance General Manager, Naca Cawanibuka, says while the team has made huge strides in fitness and culture, their biggest hurdle is consistent exposure to tier one opponents.

He wants the public to understand that progress takes time and patience.

“Canada is actually ranked number two in the world. There’s a big gap between the top three, four nations in women’s rugby with the rest of them. You know, there’s just something that’s really important for us to understand in that when we look at conditioning, you look at game fitness, it’s something that is trained, but something that needs to be understood.”

He stressed that playing tier one nations consistently is the only way to truly bridge the gap.

“I’ll tell you something, and this is probably important for our whole nation of Fiji and all Fijians to understand, to be good playing against tier one teams, we have to play them constantly.”

While training can replicate game fitness and conditioning, he said nothing matches the intensity of real tests against the likes of England, New Zealand, France and Canada.

Cawanibuka pointed to the Flying Fijians’ rise before the 2023 World Cup as proof, noting their consistent exposure to top-level opposition.

“The Flying Fijians have been quite blessed to have been exposed to northern tours. So in a year leading up to 2023, they would have three to four test matches against tier one nations on a yearly basis, which is really important for them to be able to compete at that Rugby World Cup.”

He says the same approach, if given to the Fijiana, will one day allow them to stand toe-to-toe with the world’s elite.

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