Fiji Bati pastor Ilaitia Tagituimua says the team’s use of religion on the rugby field is not about show but striking a balance in a player to find his “inner man”.
Tagituimua, who took up the role of team pastor in 2006, says the balance is trying to make a player a better person on and off the field – building his character.
“Rugby league is more than what the world sees in us just singing songs or hymns. For us, it’s more than winning games, it’s about the culture of the team,” he said.
“The Fiji National Rugby League believes that a better person will become a better football player. We are not just focusing on that 80 minutes, we are focusing on every area.
“We believe for a player to become a better father to his children, to become a better husband to his wife, to become a better child to his parents, to become better citizens, to become better players to the team; first we need to prioritise the development of a person.
“That is where FNRL is looking. We just don’t focus on using them to win games for us, we also try to help them become better persons.”
He said the FNRL believed in character building, adding a majority of players neglected this.
“That is where we come in and help them build up their inner man.
“When I talk about the inner man I’m talking about the beauty of their character which is the real man.
“When the world sees us singing hymns, involving devotion to be part of our program, it’s more than just a religious activity.
“Why we allow devotion to be part of that is because we believe in order for a person to be completely prepared, we need to get them physically, psychologically and spiritually ready.
“We can’t deny that most times we are more focused on their physical preparation. The physical part is just using him for 80 minutes, but it’s after that 80 minutes that is also important to us.”
