Fijiana 15s rep Alowesi Nakoci is proud to represent Fiji in its first women’s Rugby World Cup outing in New Zealand.
The 31-year-old, who was born in Ra and raised at Nativi Village by her grandmother, said she was proud to be the first Fijian women to score a try for Fiji in the world tournament and against England last week.
“I am also happy to be named in the first 15 to play in our first Rugby World Cup,” she said.
She said transiting from 7s to 15s was tough as she had been adapting to the playing style.
“It’s tough as I always take part in sevens rugby and for me coming to 15, it’s so hard.
“I am playing with a lot of players but I am slowing getting the hang of it.
“It’s a sacrifice as we put ourselves in the line-up to play our first Rugby World Cup but we’re not giving up on that.
“The support back at home has been tremendous as we seen a change in the support compared to the past years.
“The Boys had much support back in the days but now we’re all equal.”
She added that women nowadays are more developed in rugby and had been breaking barriers in all aspects of life whether at work or a sports field, women were stamping their mark.
“Now it’s not only that can play rugby, women are also coming up and securing contracts overseas all for the love of rugby.”
She is part of preparations against South Africa on Sunday in Fiji’s second pool match.
