Religious rugby

Paula Tagivetaua

www.fijitimes.com - Monday, November 30, 2009

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The St Agnes parish halfback under pressure at the Central-Eastern Catholic rugby tournament at the National Stadium

THE Fiji rugby tour that ended yesterday with a 29-18 win over Romania is one I will not want to talk about much.

For a moment, I thought it was Fiji-Ireland again.

I had just woken up and saw the green of the Romanians and the clock showing 3.30am but I forgot Fiji was on daylight saving. I was in time to see Goneva score and heard Satish say "Fiji 7, Romania 8".

I watched the game and it was like the final of the Catholic rugby tournament I had watched nine hours earlier at the stadium between Natovi and Vanuakula.

I mean, the last tour match of the Flying Fijians seemed so ordinary to me. Fiji won at last on tour but it was hardly a consolation. You do not gain consolation from beating a team way below you in the ranking.

Someone said last week the tour was a disaster and I agree to a certain degree, especially the way things were planned.

I class it as another folly by Rugby House in its continued anomaly of management debacles. Several things were exposed on tour and one was the lackadaisical way FRU has treated its rugby development.

There was a lot of talk the past week about mixing rugby with religion and how it has made Fijian players soft.

I do not see the big hits and tackles coming now - they are patting the opposition more on the back. That is a side-effect of playing religious rugby.

I have always said do not mix rugby and religion because it is like mixing oil and water.

There is nothing wrong with saying a prayer after a game to thank the Lord for allowing you and others to play and come out alive.

But there is a difference when you impose your religious beliefs to change the norm and say the cibi is a pagan practice that should be banned. It might be against their belief but the cibi has always been traditionally Fijian rugby and never has it been linked to any religion.

What is happening now must be put to an end because it is making a ridicule and mockery of everything Fijian about rugby. In the space of three weeks, I watched the All Blacks, Wallabies, the Springboks, Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, France and Romania and saw how structured their rugby is compared to the shambles Fiji rugby is in.

These teams are in the top eight in the world, not Romania of course, and just two years ago, Fiji was up there with them, but not anymore -- like falling from grace.

The other day, the FRU chief did the absurd thing by blaming Ilivasi for Fiji's loss to Scotland and Ireland. He said Ilivasi did not do his work as coach to develop Fiji's frontrow.

What a thing to say. They should have worked in tandem for the good of Fiji rugby. What is happening in Fiji rugby is affecting not only Fijians in Fiji.

Saimoni Waibuta wrote from Kobe City in Japan last week, saying he agreed with me and said he was against mixing rugby with religion.

A former club mate, Manasa Baravilala, mailed me and former FRU chief Bosco and said: "Gangs, sa sega sara ga ni macala na ka e yaco tiko mai Rugby House".

"I feel for the boys and the Fiji rugby fans. We need someone who is ethical and walks with integrity to clean out the 'bull' emanating from there.

"We hold the same view that the cibi belongs to the Fiji Rugby Union and the people of Fiji. No individual or player has the mandate to change what has been an integral part of our rugby history. I lay the blame on Bill and Keni for not defending this position and for allowing it to happen.

"For the same reason that our logo is part of our jersey, no individual can say he will not wear it because it has a coconut tree.

"That person, in my humble view, has lost the privilege of donning the Fiji jersey and representing Fiji.

"There are some very skewed theology interpretations being preached by some of the new Christian new-age religions in Fiji and the cibi is one of them.

"It has no biblical basis, just as we perform the meke as part of our cultural heritage."

Gangs went to say that some years ago, "Tonga coup'd their rugby house and the IRB stood idle, watched and did not intervene. That should happen here (via Govt) and the threat of IRB intervention that's being used to barricade Rugby House from the outside world is a bit far fetched -- especially from the FRU hierarchy who have not tasted blood, sweat and tears on the battlefield." Very strong words from a man who played the game, knows his rugby and everything Fijian about it. I don't think people who mix rugby with their belief realise or know that there is little love lost in rugby

Even in a rugby tournament run by the Catholic Church -- for the Bishop Foley Cup -- there has been brawls, abusive language, arguments and unChristian behaviour, but they play the game as it should be played -- hard and brutal.

But alas, the Bishop Foley Cup has not been played for some time now, I just realised on Saturday.

It is a shame, especially for a tournament that has been played for since 1954, when Naililili was the first winner of the Bishop Foley Cup.

When I went to watch, I was told it was just only for parishes in the Central-Eastern zone and was called the St John the Apostle sports tournament, for 12 parishes from Natovi to Namosi. Lomary was absent.

Ovalau said it had prepared to defend the Bishop Foley but after things went wrong with the organisation, some of their players went to play in a sevens tournament. The other eastern parishes decided to go ahead and not let their preparation go to waste.

Natovi beat Vanuakula 13-10 in the cup final after coming from an extraordinary semi-final against Sacred Heart parish of Suva.

Natovi and Suva were locked nil-all at fulltime and went into extra time.

Then they went into sudden death but were still locked nil-all. They went to kicks at goal, as the rules stated, with five kickers from each side but were locked 6-6.

Then they resorted to the toss of a coin by a policeman and the Natovi captain called "tails" and won.

The two outstanding players, according to my former teacher Lepani Rokoua, were young Vanuakula first-five Virimi Vakatawa and Naililili wing Amato Kakaivonu.

Vakatawa was a member of the Fiji Under-19 schools side which won the FORU tournament final in Samoa this year where he was named player of the tournament.

The 17-year-old Form Four student of Naitasiri Secondary School kicked two penalties in the final but the gutsy and disciplined Natovi pack scored two tries.

The Naluwai lad is one of the players groomed by former Naitasiri and Fiji Under-19 coach Master Eroni Vereivalu who coached Vanuakula.

Kakaivonu helped Naililili win the bowl 8-0 against Namosi I with a breathtaking 70m dash along the embankment side to score. The Rewa wing was clearly the fastest player at the tournament.

Raiwaqa's St Pius X parish scooped the overall winner's title for the most points -- they reached the rugby semi-finals and won the men and women's volleyball and the netball final. St Agnes parish of Samabula beat Namosi II to win the plate.

And what about the All Blacks? Too easy in the end against the French, 39-12.

This week, I will cheer for Fiji in Dubai.

Cheers.