Fijians need Kiwi shot in arm

Press, 12 June 1987, Page 20

Fijians need Kiwi shot in arm

By

JOHN BROOKS

The enigmatic face of Fijian rugby is unlikely to alter unless Big Brother New Zealand takes a keener interest in the footballing development of its Pacific neighbour. The performances of the Fijians in their four World Cup matches hinted at the heights the national . side could achieve — with a little help from a friend. ' Frustrating fluctuations of form were a feature of the Fijians’ football in the tournament. First came a stirring display in the defeat of Argentian; then the lacklustre offering by a much-changed side against New Zealand; and .then an uncharacteristically tense performance .in losing to the vastly improved Italians.

Yet the Fijians retrieved their mana with a wonderfully brave effort against France, and the tries they scored represented the pinnacle of rugby excellence. But Fijian rugby is craving for greater recognition in the form of an increase in visits from New Zealand and Australia — a logical move, geographically, and one which the rugby unions of these two super-Powers should be addressing with greater diligence. Only then, will the Fijians stabilise the standard they reached tantalisingly briefly in the World Cup.

It is curious, therefore, that the N.Z.R.U. has decided to dispatch a team to Japan in October to further the interests of the game in that country. That decision was taken a month before the Fijian military coup, so Colonel

Rabuka’s move could not be said to have scared off the New Zealand union. Japan has an articulate and persuasive champion in Mr Shiggy Konno, but even allowing for the merits of his case, it could be said that the Fijians have a prior claim for an All Black tour. However, New Zealand has never really warmed to a rugby-playing brotherhood with Fiji, preferring to pass the re-

sponsibility to the national Maori side, which makes one trip a decade. The only All Black team to have toured Fiji exclusively was the one led by Jock Hobbs in 1984; other visits have been tacked on to the tail of tours of Australia. The Fijians have experienced some rewarding tours of New Zealand to advance their case for reciprocal visits. The 1939 team holds the distinction

of being the only overseas squad to have achieved an unbeaten tour of this country, and the 1951, 1957 and 1974 sides all gained a fair measure of success while providing unlimited entertainment. Also in 1974 the All Blacks scraped home by a mere point in Suva when lan Hurst scored a try in injury time. Then, three years later, Fiji toppled Phil Bennett’s Lions on their way home from New Zealand. All too soon the smiles of Fijian supporters were to fade.. The slump started with the 1980 team, which bumbled its way through a forgettable tour of New Zealand, and Hobbs’s side breezed through its 1984 games with scores of 39-0, 32-10, 58-0, and 45-0, conceding only one try and scoring 26 itself.

The 45-0 result came in the unofficial test; four years earlier a New Zealand team led by Graham Mourie and containing Andy Dalton, Frank Oliver, Bill Osborne and Mark Donaldson hammered the Fijians by 33-0 on Eden Park. At a time when the N.Z.R.U. was recognising Rumania and Argentina as legitimate test rivals, the Fijians, who should have received this recognition much earlier, were in the midst of a slide. They began to falter, occasionally, in games against Tonga and Western Samoa, and many of their displays in the South Pacific championship were lifeless; Yet there is no doubt that the playing talent exists in quantity, and the former Waikato coach, George Simpkin, has de-

monstrated the Fjjians’ capacity for absorbing new ideas and injecting a degree of discipline into their play — without sacrificing their natural flair for running, and dodging at speed. He has filled a long-felt want by developing two strong locks, Koli Rokoroi and Ilaitia Savai, and encouraged Manasa Qoro so effectively that this young man emerged as one of the best attacking loose forwards of the tournament. Salacieli Naiviliwasa (hooker) and Sairusi Naituku (prop) were astonishingly mobile for front row forwards; ■ Paulo Nawalu impressed as a nimble and inventive halfback; and there was plenty of hard running from the strapping Kaiava Salusalu and the lithe Tomasi Cama in midfield.

Fiji is never at a loss for wings of quality, and in Kavekini Nalaga on the right and Tom Mitchell on the left they have two champions. > Add Severo Korbduadua at full-back — after impressing upon him the merits of using two hands to carry the ball — and the clever first fiveeighths, Acrua [ Niuqila, who has won a big following in Sydney club football, and a side of considerable worth emerges. All it needs to flourish is greater interest from New Zealand. -j The All Blacks are regarded as the ) stars of world rugby by Fijians, and the welcome and the hospitality would be overwhelming. Fijian rugby has surely earned some reward after its World Cup showings, f