Rugby in a rumble...
(Feb issue)

Rugby, it is said, is the one factor that has the ability to unite Fiji. But for the past month, the Fiji Rugby Union has been embroiled in one of its regular rounds of public criticism and scrutiny. Perhaps it is true that one of the most stressful jobs in Fiji is being chief executive at Rugby House.
This month we examine, within limits, the current round of drama confronting the FRU. It seems the union has not quite shaken off its “growing pains” since it turned into a professional body in 2001. We know a topic such as rugby can become emotionally charged but we also accept that there are a myriad of issues at play, much of which we the public may not even be aware of.
It is with this in mind that we outline the current “blues” the FRU is experiencing. From the outside looking in, it looks as if Fiji rugby is the “basket case of the Pacific” as one New Zealand newspaper headlined it. But while some would say this saga could not have come at a worse time in the year of the World Cup, former 15s coach Ilivasi Tabua says we could use the distraction to our advantage. “Let them think we are a basket case,” he says. “We can bring something positive to the World Cup.”
Wayne Pivac, who led the victorious Fiji team to the 2005 Rugby Sevens World Cup, says the selection of management is key and should have been sorted out a long time ago. “If Fiji can come to New Zealand with their best players, they can repeat 2007,” he says, referring to Fiji’s spectacular performance in reaching the quarter finals of the previous World Cup in France.
However, like most things in Fiji today, how this saga will end or how our national team will fare in New Zealand is anyone’s guess. In other features this month, we bring you the story of the descendants of labourers
from the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu who were brought to Fiji more than a century ago. Alipate Wara examines
their ideas of identity and finds that they are some of the most marginalised communities in Fiji today.
Matilda Simmons tells the story of the village with a red-roofed church built with funds collected through fishing. Navatu in Bua is reaping the benefits of managing their marine stocks, designating certain fishing grounds as Marine Protected Areas. The result is that the abundance of fish has enabled them to construct a huge church with a striking roof.
It’s Valentine’s this month and Ashfaaq Khan shares his insights on relationships and what he perceives are the differences between men and women. You may or may not agree with him, but it makes for a fascinating.
Dawn Pickering shares her story on finding out she had cancer and how she is managing to cope, in a remarkable account by this single mum.
Finally this month, we are reminded yet again of the consequences of war. A Fijian soldier serving in the British Army was killed in an explosion on New Year’s Day. He is the tenth Fijian in the British armed forces to die in combat since the UK joined the ‘war on terror’ in 2003.
Private Joseva Vatubua was just 24 when he was killed in an explosion while on a military operation in Afghanistan. We bring you an essay of photos taken at his funeral; photos which illustrate the heartbreak when a loved one dies, a pain which is compounded by the tragic circumstances of this death.
We hope you enjoy this issue, just as much as we have enjoyed putting it together
for you.