RUGBY unites a nation and motivates players to make extraordinary sacrifices in their desire to reach the peak of their sporting career.
About 28 years ago, 20 Fijian players including some prominent members of the historic Fiji team to the 1987 Rugby World Cup, defied the wishes of the late President Ratu Sir Penaia Gaunilau, and undertook a two-month ‘rebel’ tour of South Africa.
This 1987 South Pacific Barbarians Rebel Tour to South Africa shocked the rugby world.
At the time international rugby bodies had banned South Africa from participating at any international rugby games mainly because of apartheid.
Those participating in the tour included five Tongan and five Samoan national rugby representatives.
They were all subjects of enormous controversy as South Africa was a sensitive topic throughout the rugby world.
But for these Fijian boys, the belief that rugby bridges boundaries and unites a nation was one of the main reasons they made the ultimate sacrifices of going against their President’s plea.
They believed the Rebel Tour would contribute to the solution of freeing South Africa from its apartheid era.
And despite being slapped with a six-month games suspension upon their return, these players have no regrets about their decision.
For them, they had used rugby as a tool to free and unite South Africa.
In this segment, Times Sports talked to former national rep Sairusi Naituku.
He shared his experience about this unforgettable tour.
The Natabua High School teacher was among the first lot of 15 players who departed our shores on August, 1987.
“This Rebel Tour was not an ordinary rugby tour.
“It was a mission, a mission to free South Africa,” said Naituku.
“During our playing days — the ambition of every player was to play in South Africa and this was something we saw as a golden opportunity, it made us defy the President and FRU’s orders.”
“I believed it was God’s calling.”
Naituku said the national team was in New Zealand during the Rugby World Cup when a South African national visited the team at their hotel.
That is where it all started.
Upon their return from the World Cup, the side featured at the South Pacific Championship where they defeated Samoa 37-14 and later humbled Tonga 32-9.
Before the game against Tonga, Arthur Jennings who was a former All Blacks rep, approached some players to inform them about the South Africa Rebel Tour.
“In one of our training runs, Jennings came with a South African national and few days later he told me to report to his house after training,” said Naituku.
“Arthur’s house used to be on top of the FRU building and this was where the deal was struck.
“I asked him (Jennings) the names of the players going on this tour and his reply was ‘don’t bother who all is going just worry about yourself — you will meet the others at the airport.
“I was told the first lot would leave Suva on Saturday night — after the game against Tonga.
Naituku returned to the team camp and secretly asked a few players about the trip but they remained tightlipped.
He kept the news to himself as he re-set his focus on the game against Tonga.
After the game, the late President Ratu Penaia Ganilau made a surprise visit to the team’s changing room and thanked the players for their effort.
“Ratu Penaia told us he had received information on Fijian players preparing for the rugby Rebel Tour to South Africa,” said Naituku.
“He requested us not to go for the sake of the Fijian government, FRU and the world rugby because of the apartheid in South Africa.
“There was a pin drop silence in the changing room after Ratu Penaia asked the names of players being earmarked for the tour.
“Deep inside me I said to myself, I will go South Africa.”
The team was hosted at the FTA Hall for their after-match function and ended up at the Union Club.
The players were still at the club when told to leave for Nadi that night.
“We were still at the club when Koli Rakoroi called me together with Paulo Nawalu and Epeli Rakai,” said Naituku.
“He told us that we had to leave for Nadi.
“We looked for Seve (Severo Koroduadua) and found him drinking grog at the market.
“I was still sober when I reached home to pack my bag and told my wife that I would be going to South Africa. She was shocked. I told her if anyone asked for me, to tell them I had gone to Ba.
So the first five players to depart Suva for this tour were Sairusi Naituku, Severo Koroduadua, Epeli Rakai and Paulo Nawalu.
Naituku said their main concern that Sunday morning was the curfew in place as a result of the 1987 coup.
“At Navua we were stopped by military officers manning the checkpoint.”
“The soldiers were shocked to see us in the taxi because we just played against Tonga on Saturday afternoon.
“They thanked us for the game against Tonga and asked us where we were heading to.
“We told them we were going to Ba and they allowed us go.
“We also encountered another checkpoint in Nadi and they also did the same thing.”
The five players were billeted at the Melanesian Hotel in Nadi and were shocked to see five Tongan players and five Samoa players already in the hotel.
Early Sunday morning, Kirk Jennings, (the son of Arthur Jennings) approached the group at the hotel to hand them their travel documents.
“He told us that three cars were waiting outside the hotel to take us to the airport,” he said.
“He told us not to stop anywhere else but at the airport to report direct for check-in.
“We saw our national teammates Vilikesa Vatuwaliwali and Ilai Koroitamana at the airport and we told them we were going to Australia. After the check-in we went straight for boarding and I was shocked to see the same South African man who visited us at training inside the plane.
“He was smiling at us.”
Naituku said the man approached him and thanked him and his teammates to be part of the tour.
“These were his words, “Thank you so much for volunteering to free South Africa.
“He told us his name was John and he was a colonel in the South Africa military.
“He told me his job is to smuggle rugby players from across the globe to play rugby in South Africa.
The 15 players of five Fijians, five Tongans and five Samoans were the first lot that departed the country for Sydney where they waited for two days before 15 more Fijian players joined them for the South Africa tour.
* In our second segment next week, Naituku shares his experience upon their arrival in Australia, the arrival of the 15 other Fijian players from Fiji, the reception that awaited the team in South Africa, the names of the 25 players on the tour, and the positive remarks about tour made by top rugby officials in South Africa.
