One of the global rugby Tests during the weekend was played at the ANZ Stadium, Suva.
The match was accorded the rugby rituals; a VIP meeting the players — in this Test; it was 2016 Team Fiji chef de mission to the Brazil Olympic Games, Cathy Wong.
Followed were the singing of the national anthems, and the kick-off.
But, the first whistle did not signal the start of the match after a glimpse of Fiji rugby’s traditional challenge, the cibi.
It was performed for the first time by the Fiji Women’s 15s rugby team. Saturday brought to fore that women’s rugby is here to stay. It was their first 15s match, let alone a Test after years of playing as the Fijiana team in 7s rugby.
The Test was against the Papua New Guinea Palais. They are named after one of the traditional birds of PNG.
And, in picturesque of the rendition of the Flying Fijians’ cibi to frighten the opposition, our women offered the same fearsome challenge. They never missed a step as they moved in unison towards the opposition in a pre-match scare bid.
Fast forward, the hosts won after scoring six tries to two for 37 – 10.
They have qualified for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 Asia — Oceania Qualifier tournament in December in Hong Kong as the Oceania Champion.
The tournament will feature two Asian qualifiers and Fiji, with the two highest placed teams qualifying for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Ireland. It is a race Rugby House wants to pursue successfully.
Fiji opened scores through nippy playmaker Merewalesi Rokouono from a penalty midway between the halfway mark and the 22-metre line in the first quarter of the Test – another show of the strength of a woman.
The visitors looked sloppy against a fitter Fijian pack, but they replied with strong tackles and structured defence. Fiji led 13-5 at the break. PNG Palais scored first when match resumed, but the Fijians ran in four tries in the spell to win and book their tickets to Hong Kong next month.
A feat going down in the history books of Fijian rugby.
“A great day for us,” Fiji Rugby Union CEO John O’Connor said.
“This is the starting of many things to come. This is the fruit of development we have been doing. There is a lot of planning including the appointment of a coach still in discussion.”
Zaggy’s number ‘The strength of a woman’ came to fore while watching the set of 40-plus women in rugby boots delivering no love lost tackles and mesmerising runs at each other on the rugby paddock. They can run tackled, bust defence and even send down some of those long Daniel Carter copy-book clearing kicks to relieve pressure during the match.
On the stands, the vocal support poured in choruses from teammates, fellow countrymen and women, couples, and children.
The statement that women’s rugby is here to stay came true. The call for equality rang loud and clear.
The field remained the same, the rules changed a bit for flexibility and safety, but the ruthlessness shown in the match were no less than that always delivered by our men.
But Saturday’s match sadly lacked the glamour enjoyed by the Flying Fijians when it comes to Test level.
Foremost, the crowd was not there. Fiji hosted the Chiefs and the Crusaders in July and there were temporary stands to cater for the huge turnout.
On Saturday only three spectators occupied the ANZ Stadium entire embankment area. The grandstand was half full. In the first injury, assistant Fiji interim coach and former national captain, Kele Leawere had to run onto the field to help an injured player limp out of the field. Where was the buggy stretcher? It appeared later in the match though. Where were the rugby fans? Where was the Fijian support?
“Women’s rugby needs a lot of help and support,” interim coach and former Flying Fijian Seremaia Bai, who gave his time free to help this team win, said after the victory.
“We need change in mind-set. We need to change how we look at our women and we need to support them. Some of these women and girls have very sad stories in their backgrounds and they turned to rugby as a hope. They have potential and like our men, we can be world beaters. All they need is your support and help,” he said.
The Fijians were led by Lailanie Burnes, who has maternal links to Lomaiviti and the daughter of a former Manly Sea Eagles rugby rep of Australia.
Leilani, of South Sea Cruises in the West, was not only the captain; she led amicably wearing the number one jumper.
She does not have the built of a prop, but a close look showed how much preparation and dedication she has been going through, pumping weights and building her upper body strength and fitness. She was there at the thick of all breakdown. She is the best example of a mobile forward running all over the field – on attack and defence. Leading by example, they say.
“It is fantastic,” she said clutching the Oceania Women’s Rugby Trophy close to her chest like a mother carrying her baby – a show of love, protection and dominance.
“You know it’s such a proud moment. It’s a historical event for women’s rugby and women across all of Fiji. We want to say a big vinaka vakalevu to the people of Fiji and to all those who believed in us,” she said.
“We now have the WRWC qualifying in December. It is a tough road. We are going back into training to work even harder and make everyone proud. The next tournament in Hong Kong is another stepping-stone and we are going all the way to Ireland.”
PNG Palais came with six-Australian-based players. Bai did not use any current Fijiana players. He said he wanted to start from the beginning.
He wanted to give hope to the down trodden women in our society, extending the call to girls and women with rugby passion that the oval ball game is another hope in the world.
Some of them have played in the Olympic Games. There’s hope for more to make Fiji proud again in the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Ireland next year.
And Bai himself believes in the popular women’s quote: ‘A strong woman knows she has strength enough for the journey, but a woman of strength knows it is the journey where she will become strong.’
The win puts Fiji through to the final Women’s RWC 2017 Asia/Oceania Qualifier tournament in December in Hong Kong as the Oceania Champion.
