FIJIAN DRUA
LAUGHTER. THAT’S the abiding takeaway of our photographer from a day spent with Fijian Drua in New South Wales. They may be thousands of kilometres from home, the pandemic delaying plans to be based in Fiji until next year, but the team spirit is strong amongst the Super Rugby Pacific new boys. As prop Samuela Tawake says: “Fijians are well known for that part of life – being happy and smiling, laughing and joking. It creates what we need as a team.”
From the conversations Rugby World has had, the most popular joke is throwing plastic snakes at each other. Their camp in the seaside village of Lennox Head may have similarities to Fiji but the Australian wildlife is not one of them. Players try to scare each other with fake versions of the real snakes they have seen in their surroundings, while crocodiles have also been something of a theme.
Naca Cawanibuka, who was part of the coaching team that guided Fiji Sevens
