Oida na vuli sa ga lala so. Ia tavuiya na moli ni rakavi e mutu na vuli ke mai vavalagi.”
This prophecy, uttered nearly a century ago to the tribes of Noivusu and Nasikawa by Ratu Apolosi Ranawai, the only Fijian to be exiled by the government of the day for his political beliefs and perceived threat to Colonial rule, inspired an amazing number of men born of these two relatively small tribes, from two relatively small villages, to play international rugby union and rugby league for Fiji, Australia and New Zealand from the 1950s to this day and educate their children overseas along the way!
Referring to the point that the focus of the Colonial government of that time was to educate the sons of the eastern chiefs at the expense of those from the west, roughly translated, what Ratu Apolosi said was, “Although there are no schools here, through the rugby ball, your sons will be educated overseas”.When you drive down what is supposed be our main highway from Suva to the west, the top of the ridge, just before the orange blob of concrete marking the entrance to Mango Bay Resort, is the border between east and west.
Descending to the flatlands across the bridge to the right is Ratu Filise Memorial School.
The houses bordering the school on both sides of the highway are actually part of two villages - Vuciwai and Namatakula, home to the two tribes – the Yavusa Noivusu and the Yavusa Nasikawa.
My first real contact with these people was about two decades ago in Sicily off the coast of mainland Italy!
I was a radio rugby commentator back then, before TV and the IRB 7s Series and someone in Sicily thought it would be a brilliant idea to host an international 7s rugby tournament there and an equally brilliant person here in Fiji asked me to go over and cover the event “live” for Radio Fiji, although I won’t mention names!
So there I was after flying like forever from Nadi, checking into my hotel in Catania, Sicily, a picturesque town too close for comfort (for me anyway being of Tongan Mafioso connections) to Palermo, the Italian Mafia capital of the world, when the Fiji 7’s Team Management of Messer’s Waisake Saukawa and Ratu Kitione Tuibua walked up to me at reception and promptly invited me to join their team in one of the three villas the Fiji 7s team was occupying.
A short time later I met my roommate from the Yavusa Nasikawa of Vucilevu Village, Mr. Noa Nadruku Kurumalawai. Little did we know that this first meeting in a villa in Sicily was to be a turning point in our lives, but that’s another story!
Noa Nadruku was the 3rd of five brothers, all of whom played rugby union or rugby league, or both codes, for Fiji. The oldest of the brothers, Vili Tani, played inside centre for Nadroga and Fiji, the 2nd brother, Mesake Seavula, played halfback for Nadroga and Fiji and like Noa, also rugby league for the Fiji Bati.
Noa’s two younger brothers, Mitieli and Sireli both played for the Fiji Bati, while continuing this family’s amazing rugby legacy, Vili Tani’s son, Kaliova Nauqe, is the current captain of the Fiji Bati.
Believe me, these five brothers didn’t just make up the numbers, they were outstanding players for Nadroga and Fiji in their chosen backline positions and Noa Nadruku was the best of this very talented lot, but more on him later!
Also hailing from the Yavusa Nasikawa was Lote Tuqiri senior, who played hooker for Nadroga in the early 1970s and is credited with being one of the first clansman from Vucilevu village to head across to Brisbane and lay a trail to be followed by many other young men from there to ply their trade in rugby in Queensland over the years.
Tokula Tuqiri, who played wing for Nadroga and Fiji, followed soon after with his young family, including 4 year old Lote Tuqiri, who was held back by his Father to concentrate on his schooling until he was 17 years old before unleashing the budding athlete on the Brisbane rugby scene.
Lote Tuqiri tore through the rugby ranks in Queensland, was snapped up by the Brisbane Broncos and as they say in Bollywood, “The rest is history”.
Young Lote went on to play rugby league for the Australian Kangaroos before switching to rugby union for a reported A$6 million deal which keeps him in the game playing for the New South Wales Waratahs and the Wallabies until the next Rugby World Cup in 2011. Incredible when you think of the small village and even smaller tribe that he comes from back here in Fiji.
The 2nd house on the left on the flatlands after Mango Bay Resort lump towards Namatakila village with well kept gardens belongs to Lote.
The other tribe, Yavusa Noivusu, also boasts some of Fiji’s most famous rugby sons including the Batibasaga clan, starting with Natuna Batibasaga who represented Nadroga and Fiji in the 1950s.
He was quickly followed to Fiji caps by his three sons, Asaeli, Ilikimi and one of Fiji’s best halfbacks, Isimeli Batibasaga, who played in the great Nadroga decade through the 1970s.Fellow tribesmen and speed merchants Luke Erenavula and Isei Nasiganiyavi both played 7s rugby on the wing for Fiji with distinction.
Isei went on to make a name for himself in Brisbane as “the black flash”, representing the Queensland Reds and Australia in 7s and 15s rugby while Erenavula also played 15s rugby for Fiji before pursuing his rugby career, like many other talented Fijians since then, in New Zealand, quickly representing the kiwis in international 7s rugby.
In fact in 1993, in an amazing feat for international rugby try-scoring, two cousins from the two tribes, Luke Erenavula with 13 tries for Counties and Noa Nadruku with 22 tries for the Canberra Raiders were the respective top try scorers in New Zealand’s NPC rugby competition and the Australian Rugby League premier grade competition. Not bad for a couple of boys from a small village down the coast!
More recently, prop Peniasi Damu and halfback Sirilo Lala have maintained the incredible run of national representation for Fiji in 15s and 7s rugby respectively.
Rooming with Noa Nadruku over three days of the Sicily Sevens really opened my eyes to the reality of the situation these village-based rugby players were in compared to the “professional” players from New Zealand and the rest of the tier one rugby playing nations. Luke Erenavula was also in that team in Sicily.
At the end of every rugby trip overseas representing Fiji, whether in 7s or 15s, these men returned to their tribes to live the simple village life. Ratu Filise Memorial School was and still is, only a primary school. Rugby was the only skill they had.
Incredibly, in line with the prophecy of Ratu Apolosi Ranawai so long ago, so many young men have emerged from these two tribes through their skills on the rugby paddock to make their mark on the international stage and through rugby, educate their children overseas.
The Batibasaga brothers live in Australia with their fellow clansman, the Tuqiri’s, Isei Nasiganiyavi and Mesake Seavula. Luke Erenavula lives in the USA where he still coaches rugby.
Noa Nadruku owns and rents out a couple of homes in Canberra where his children attend one of Australia’s best private schools!
This prophecy, uttered nearly a century ago to the tribes of Noivusu and Nasikawa by Ratu Apolosi Ranawai, the only Fijian to be exiled by the government of the day for his political beliefs and perceived threat to Colonial rule, inspired an amazing number of men born of these two relatively small tribes, from two relatively small villages, to play international rugby union and rugby league for Fiji, Australia and New Zealand from the 1950s to this day and educate their children overseas along the way!
Referring to the point that the focus of the Colonial government of that time was to educate the sons of the eastern chiefs at the expense of those from the west, roughly translated, what Ratu Apolosi said was, “Although there are no schools here, through the rugby ball, your sons will be educated overseas”.When you drive down what is supposed be our main highway from Suva to the west, the top of the ridge, just before the orange blob of concrete marking the entrance to Mango Bay Resort, is the border between east and west.
Descending to the flatlands across the bridge to the right is Ratu Filise Memorial School.
The houses bordering the school on both sides of the highway are actually part of two villages - Vuciwai and Namatakula, home to the two tribes – the Yavusa Noivusu and the Yavusa Nasikawa.
My first real contact with these people was about two decades ago in Sicily off the coast of mainland Italy!
I was a radio rugby commentator back then, before TV and the IRB 7s Series and someone in Sicily thought it would be a brilliant idea to host an international 7s rugby tournament there and an equally brilliant person here in Fiji asked me to go over and cover the event “live” for Radio Fiji, although I won’t mention names!
So there I was after flying like forever from Nadi, checking into my hotel in Catania, Sicily, a picturesque town too close for comfort (for me anyway being of Tongan Mafioso connections) to Palermo, the Italian Mafia capital of the world, when the Fiji 7’s Team Management of Messer’s Waisake Saukawa and Ratu Kitione Tuibua walked up to me at reception and promptly invited me to join their team in one of the three villas the Fiji 7s team was occupying.
A short time later I met my roommate from the Yavusa Nasikawa of Vucilevu Village, Mr. Noa Nadruku Kurumalawai. Little did we know that this first meeting in a villa in Sicily was to be a turning point in our lives, but that’s another story!
Noa Nadruku was the 3rd of five brothers, all of whom played rugby union or rugby league, or both codes, for Fiji. The oldest of the brothers, Vili Tani, played inside centre for Nadroga and Fiji, the 2nd brother, Mesake Seavula, played halfback for Nadroga and Fiji and like Noa, also rugby league for the Fiji Bati.
Noa’s two younger brothers, Mitieli and Sireli both played for the Fiji Bati, while continuing this family’s amazing rugby legacy, Vili Tani’s son, Kaliova Nauqe, is the current captain of the Fiji Bati.
Believe me, these five brothers didn’t just make up the numbers, they were outstanding players for Nadroga and Fiji in their chosen backline positions and Noa Nadruku was the best of this very talented lot, but more on him later!
Also hailing from the Yavusa Nasikawa was Lote Tuqiri senior, who played hooker for Nadroga in the early 1970s and is credited with being one of the first clansman from Vucilevu village to head across to Brisbane and lay a trail to be followed by many other young men from there to ply their trade in rugby in Queensland over the years.
Tokula Tuqiri, who played wing for Nadroga and Fiji, followed soon after with his young family, including 4 year old Lote Tuqiri, who was held back by his Father to concentrate on his schooling until he was 17 years old before unleashing the budding athlete on the Brisbane rugby scene.
Lote Tuqiri tore through the rugby ranks in Queensland, was snapped up by the Brisbane Broncos and as they say in Bollywood, “The rest is history”.
Young Lote went on to play rugby league for the Australian Kangaroos before switching to rugby union for a reported A$6 million deal which keeps him in the game playing for the New South Wales Waratahs and the Wallabies until the next Rugby World Cup in 2011. Incredible when you think of the small village and even smaller tribe that he comes from back here in Fiji.
The 2nd house on the left on the flatlands after Mango Bay Resort lump towards Namatakila village with well kept gardens belongs to Lote.
The other tribe, Yavusa Noivusu, also boasts some of Fiji’s most famous rugby sons including the Batibasaga clan, starting with Natuna Batibasaga who represented Nadroga and Fiji in the 1950s.
He was quickly followed to Fiji caps by his three sons, Asaeli, Ilikimi and one of Fiji’s best halfbacks, Isimeli Batibasaga, who played in the great Nadroga decade through the 1970s.Fellow tribesmen and speed merchants Luke Erenavula and Isei Nasiganiyavi both played 7s rugby on the wing for Fiji with distinction.
Isei went on to make a name for himself in Brisbane as “the black flash”, representing the Queensland Reds and Australia in 7s and 15s rugby while Erenavula also played 15s rugby for Fiji before pursuing his rugby career, like many other talented Fijians since then, in New Zealand, quickly representing the kiwis in international 7s rugby.
In fact in 1993, in an amazing feat for international rugby try-scoring, two cousins from the two tribes, Luke Erenavula with 13 tries for Counties and Noa Nadruku with 22 tries for the Canberra Raiders were the respective top try scorers in New Zealand’s NPC rugby competition and the Australian Rugby League premier grade competition. Not bad for a couple of boys from a small village down the coast!
More recently, prop Peniasi Damu and halfback Sirilo Lala have maintained the incredible run of national representation for Fiji in 15s and 7s rugby respectively.
Rooming with Noa Nadruku over three days of the Sicily Sevens really opened my eyes to the reality of the situation these village-based rugby players were in compared to the “professional” players from New Zealand and the rest of the tier one rugby playing nations. Luke Erenavula was also in that team in Sicily.
At the end of every rugby trip overseas representing Fiji, whether in 7s or 15s, these men returned to their tribes to live the simple village life. Ratu Filise Memorial School was and still is, only a primary school. Rugby was the only skill they had.
Incredibly, in line with the prophecy of Ratu Apolosi Ranawai so long ago, so many young men have emerged from these two tribes through their skills on the rugby paddock to make their mark on the international stage and through rugby, educate their children overseas.
The Batibasaga brothers live in Australia with their fellow clansman, the Tuqiri’s, Isei Nasiganiyavi and Mesake Seavula. Luke Erenavula lives in the USA where he still coaches rugby.
Noa Nadruku owns and rents out a couple of homes in Canberra where his children attend one of Australia’s best private schools!
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