“You get knocked down a couple of times, but you stand up, fight hard and that’s life.”
This is the message international referee Tevita Rokovereni imparted to young and upcoming referees after being named the Male Referee of the Year at the inaugural Fiji Rugby Referees Awards on Saturday.
Rokovereni received the top honour on stage from Fiji Rugby Union chairman John Sanday and acknowledged the mark he had set locally and on the world stage and credited the work of younger referees.
“I’ve been the standard bearer for some time now, but the young guys out there, those are the contributors and they deserve this award,” Rokovereni said.
He added Fiji’s new status as a tier one nation marked what he said was an exciting chapter for him and his fellow referees.
“I think Fiji (with) going into tier one next season, referees need to have the tier one mindset also, so this is just the start of something exciting,” he said.
Following last Saturday’s prestigious moment, it will be a busy schedule for Rokovereni as he continues work in the HSBC SVNS series until the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles in the United States.
Rokovereni began refereeing after leaving Rishikul Sanatan College, where he did not play rugby but focused on his studies upon his parents’ insistence.
He made his debut in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series on January 28, 2017, officiating the match between Wales and Russia at the Wellington 7s.
Since then, he has officiated in 40 HSBC World Rugby 7s tournaments, of which 35 were men and five were women’s matches.
