THE improved World Rugby rankings of the Fiji Airways Flying Fijians to eight and the win by the Fijiana 15s in the Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship reveals a message of hope that Fijian rugby is heading in the right direction.

With 1.55 points awarded to them, the Flying Fijians overall score is now 77.95 points which takes them above both France and Argentina.

Dominiko Waqaniburotu led a strong Fiji men’s team to conquer France after eight attempts.

But the John McKee-coached side have proved what an impoverished second tier island nation can achieve, despite the odds that continue to be stacked against then under international rugby’s scheduling model.