SWIRE SHIPPING Fijian Drua head coach Glen Jackson says leadership and player development will be key focus areas as the team builds towards the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.
Jackson said the inclusion of experienced players such as Temo Mayanavanua, Manasa Mataele and Angelo Smith will bring much-needed leadership both on and off the field.
” For Leadership we needed some players obviously we lost a few leaders in our team, so to bring in some people like, especially Temo who’s, you know, played Highland Cup and Premiership English rugby, to bring him in has been awesome.
“I know he’s away at the Flying Fijians, but massively invested and excited to play for the Drua. Manasa winning NPC a couple of weeks ago, you know, in terms of what he brings is good.
“Isaac Fines as well, obviously just guys that have been there and done it and super agile. We know we’re a reasonably young team in terms of the competition, so it was important to bring in some leaders,” Jackson said.
Jackson will name his 2026 captain when the Flying Fijians return next month.
” We will wait for the national team to finish and will have discussions on how they go and will announce that when our full squad are together, they will land in December,” Jackson confirmed.
He also spoke about the promotion of four development players as a milestone for the club’s growth.
” It’s amazing, there’s not too many clubs that would bring in as many development players as we have over the four years, and to have four this year is exciting for them and their family and what they’ve done in this club.”
Jackson also mentioned the important role Skipper Cup competition play for player selections.
“You know, Skipper Cup’s had a lot to play for that. We’ve had 19 guys play for them and we’ve brought in 16 guys either on development or trial mostly out of Skipper Cup, so it’s an important competition for us to be looking at, and the credit to everyone to be able to promote four players into the main squad is exciting for the programme,” he added.
As pre-season begins, Jackson said the team’s foundation for 2026 will rest on “hard work” and balance.
“Pre-season at the moment, that is essentially where we’re at. It’s week one, but already the boys have realised they’re back.
“Hard work is our main pillar for this pre-season,” he added.
