Nauru Rugby eyes Fiji partnership to unlock sport's potential

Nauru Rugby Union vice preident Dagan Kaierua believes having more partnership with Fiji Rugby will boost the growth of the sport in his island nation.

Rugby is the second most popular sport in Nauru, behind the national sport Australian Rules Football (AFL), also known as "footy". It is immensely popular, deeply ingrained in the culture, and played by a significant portion of the population.

But Kaierua, who was captain of Fiji's Lelean Memorial School team in Nausori back in the days, believes the union code will grow with the development plans now in place.

Two weeks ago, Nauru's men's sevens rugby team met Kiribati for the first time in the battle for the Frigate Cup.

Nauru defeated the Kiribati 33-12. Prior to that. Nauru Rugby had the services of former Fijian Olympian and Fiji Sevens captain Jerry Tuwai.

Tuwai was in the island for a week of promotional work, helping drive the rugby message.

He was also with the Nauru teams in Nadi, assisting in coaching them from the sideline, while his daughter also played for the Nauru under-10 girls team.

Nauru Rugby said the rugby event against Kiribati was the first for the two Micronesian countries, trying to develop the oval ball game.

In the past week, Nauru age-group teams competed at the Nadi Junior Rugby Festival in Fiji, where fellow Micronesian teams Kiribati and Tuvalu also featured.

Local teams from across the main island, Viti Levu, also competed at the event, from the under-10s to under-18s in both the boys and girls categories.

Nauru's under-10s girls team finished runner-up, losing 5-0 to local side Votualevu in the final.

Their under-10 boys team lost in the semifinals, under technical ruling after they held Saunaka 5-all at fulltime. They lost out because Saunaka had scored first.

The under-12 boys team lost their Cup semifinal 31-0 to Nawaka.

The under-14 boys side made it to the plate semifinals, but lost 17-10 to Votualevu, while their under-16 team qualified for the plate final after defeating Nawaka 24-7.

They lost 31-5 to Western Marine.

Kaierua said the trip to Fiji has been great for the future of Nauru rugby and they want to secure more such partnerships going forward.

"Certainly positive for us and we want to do this annually," he said.

"We are positive that the game will grow."

He was thankful to all those who made it happen.

"We would like to extend our thank you and gratitude to the Nadi organisers for having us, which is a very big bonus for us," he said.

Nauru's rugby development has been hindered by the unavailability of grounds, he said, adding that the different sports taking turns using the one park that everyone uses.

"Back at home, rugby is our second spot," he said.

"We're still learning, we're still growing the game. Our juniors programme is really hindered by the unavailability of ground, especially grass.

"We have an open space of field, which is just a cement park where it kind of really diminish our rugby development, especially with rugby it needs that contact perspective."

'A learning curve'

He said Fiji is always the best option for them because of the developed rugby structure and the infrastructure available.

"Fiji is the king of sevens, king of rugby, and it's just a flight across," he said.

"We have a direct flight, and it has all those resources here; resources meaning grass field resources.

"And rugby religion in Fiji. So for us to really just be here, it's a learning curve for us."

He said Nauru Rugby's focus at the moment is on "participation and development".

Any wins is a bonus along that development pathway.

The teams participation at the Nadi Festival is a pilot project, which the Nauru union now hopes to make an annual event.

He said they are discussing with government how best they can allocate budgets into such development programs and are also fundraising on their own to meet the financial demands.

Passion is now evident, with over 60 children tied up within the junior rugby program.

"As you can see, the passion and the type of rugby that our kids are playing," he stated, pointing to the performance of their teams in Nadi.

"If only we have such resources as grassfields back at home, it might even elevate our preparations and our performance.

"But that being said, this festival has been so overwhelming. It's been welcoming."

Nauru Rugby is also proud to have their own referee Chamrock Agir officiating at the Nadi event.

He controlled the U18 Boys Cup Final.

Nauru rugby academy 'try as much as we can'

Nauru Rugby said the former sevens player and 15s captain officiated in 12 games at the tournament, gaining more experience and knowledge.

As a rugby player and now administrator, Kaierua has opened a rugby academy in the island nation, focused on raising the interest with the young population.

He said the junior academy has been set up to "just to help with directive path to kind of lure a bit more of our children into elite level training".

"Because back at home, the rugby unit is a full volunteer organisation, where we try as much as we can to reach out to the schools program, community programs during the school holidays, and really call participants to take part.

"We do not have active clubs, junior club level. It's just who turns up on the day, and then we do some programmes.

He said the academy is a channel where players and interested kids who want to focus on the sport can be part development programmes, stepping forward and having such friends connections in Fiji, to grow the game.

He said work is also ongoing in trying to make rugby a sport option for schools, but the challenge has been the numbers and the school system set up.

Calling Fiji his second home, he said he wants to make use of the connections built to help develop the game in his home island nation.

"I've grown up more in Fiji, started with my education here, and I fell in love with rugby when I was at Lelean Memorial School," he said.

"I did four years as a boarder, and also played rugby where that rugby perspective has really drilled me.

"When I headed back to Nauru, where there was no rugby, the passion drove me to grow and start the game there.

"Now we've expanded from the senior national level team to under 20, under 18 and now to the primary school development."

Rugby officially got established on the island nation in 2011 and the union sent their first team to the 2015 Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea.

In 2018, the union had their first national women's team, with the under-20s set up four years later.