THE road to Fiji’s premier provincial rugby competition begins this weekend with the launch of the Vodafone Vanua Challenge eliminations, a competition that will see aspiring unions from Viti Levu and Vanua Levu battle for promotion to the 2026 Skipper Cup.
A total of 16 teams will contest the eliminations, with 12 teams from Viti Levu and four from Vanua Levu vying for two coveted spots in the country’s top provincial competition.
Fiji Rugby chairman John Sanday said the initiative was a significant step in strengthening the provincial rugby pathway while providing opportunities for emerging unions to prove themselves on the field.
“This event is part of our pathway system where raw talent meets real opportunity,” Sanday said.
“The best of our Vanua teams will battle it out not just for pride, but for two coveted spots in the Skipper Cup. This competition is vital to Fiji Rugby’s commitment to developing and enhancing our provincial teams.”
Sanday said the competition aligned with Fiji Rugby’s 10-year strategic plan and its objective of achieving performance excellence across all levels of the game.
Fiji Rugby operations manager Talemo Waqa said the new format would ensure Vanua Levu maintained representation in the Skipper Cup because of the vast talent available in the Northern Division.
“The board’s vision is that Vanua Levu should always have a team at Skipper Cup level,” Waqa said.
He also confirmed all participating unions had signed the newly introduced Terms of Play (TOP), which outlines competition standards and regulations.
“We want to maintain the integrity of the competition and uphold the reputation of the game,” he said.
The Viti Levu eliminations will be played on a knockout basis while the Vanua Levu conference will be decided through a round-robin format, with the winners from each zone securing promotion to the Skipper Cup.
