Fiji must revamp school rugby system, ex-captain Durutalo says

Andrew Durutalo, a former Fiji U20 captain and current director of rugby operations at Hong Kong Football Club, asserts that Fiji's school rugby system requires significant reform. He believes the current competition structure fails to adequately prepare players for international competition.

Durutalo, who has experience playing in Fiji's Deans Trophy competition and later for the USA Eagles, argues that Fiji needs to move beyond simply producing talented players. The focus, he states, should be on developing, monitoring, and retaining these athletes within a robust system that benefits Fijian rugby long-term.

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There's a lot that needs to be done so that Fiji is able to reap the benefit as intended.

He points to the disparity in the number of games played annually. While Fiji's U18 players might play around 11 matches per season, their counterparts in New Zealand and South Africa play significantly more, with South African U18 players potentially playing 25 games and accumulating 50 matches over two years. Durutalo emphasizes that increasing the number of competitive matches, even extending the 3rd and 4th place playoffs to all grades, is crucial for player development.

Furthermore, Durutalo stresses the importance of early integration into the system, ideally starting at ages 16 or 17. He advocates for these young players to be given opportunities to compete in the premier competition, ensuring a continuous development pathway. He believes these changes are necessary for Fiji to fully realize its rugby potential.

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We often look at New Zealand and South Africa as benchmarks for player development. We talk about their coaching, pathways, facilities and high-performance systems, but sometimes the simplest metrics tell an important story, and that is the number of games in a season.