THE Nadi Junior Kaji Rugby Festival is continuing to play a crucial role in developing the next generation of rugby players in Nadi, with values taking priority over winning.
Nadi Rugby Union operations manager Jeff Tamata said the festival had been running for the past seven years and was designed to ensure young players were properly grounded in the principles of the game.
The two-day festival, held on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing together young players from rugby clubs throughout Nadi.
Of the 13 clubs under the Nadi Rugby Union, 11 are taking part in the rugby festival, involving boys and girls from the under-8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18 grades.
Tamata said the festival was deliberately structured differently from highly competitive tournaments.
“The values of rugby are the priority,” he said.
“We take the competitive mindset away from them and build into them the values of rugby.”
Those values are reflected in the DRIPS philosophy – discipline, respect, integrity, patience and solidarity.
Tamata said the festival had grown significantly since its humble beginnings seven years ago when only three clubs participated.
He believes the programme has become an important pathway for grassroots rugby development in Nadi, particularly because it reaches young people beyond the traditional school rugby system.
“These are clubs, not schools,” Tamata said.
He explained that the club structure allowed organisers to bring in young people who may not be attending school, while also creating opportunities for students from schools that do not traditionally have rugby programmes.
Girls’ participation is also a major requirement, with clubs expected to include female teams in their categories.
Tamata said the union was equally strict on compliance, with two established clubs missing the current second-term holiday festival because they failed to meet the required standards.
He said building discipline and strong character at a young age would make it easier for players to adapt to the culture and expectations of higher-level rugby.
For Nadi Rugby Union, the festival is about much more than producing winning teams – it is about producing better players and better people.
