Sport Rugby union PIRA affiliation 2002 | Founded 1913 Website Official Website | |
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Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in Fiji. It is divided into over 30 provincial unions. The Fiji Rugby Union is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA), along with Samoa and Tonga. There are approximately 80,000 registered players from a total population of around 950,000.
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International 15s
Otherwise known as the "Flying Fijians," the team gained No 9 in the IRB World Rankings after defeating Wales to enter the 2007 Rugby World Cup but slid down No 11 as a result of losses in the 2008 IRB Pacific Nations Cup. They sit 13th in the IRB world rankings as of 6 July 2013.
International 7s
Fiji has won the Rugby World Cup Sevens twice, in 1997 and the 2005. They also play in the IRB Sevens World Series, an annual circuit of eight tournaments around the world, winning the series in 2006 and ending the six-year reign of New Zealand on that circuit. However, they lost the title to New Zealand in 2007, and did not win any tournaments in the 2007–2008 Series. Fiji has shone in rugby sevens, finishing the 2013 HSBC Sevens World Series third behind New Zealand and South Africa.
Other teams
Other teams include the Fiji A "Warriors", Fiji Under 20 team (competing at the annual IRB Junior World Championship), other age group international teams, and a women's team, currently under development and hoping for an invitation to the Women's Rugby World Cup.
There is also an Indo-Fijian team, to compete in the Asian Games.
Domestic competition
The national provincial championship is the Digicel Cup competition.
A professional six team domestic competition, the Colonial Cup (similar in design to Super Rugby), ran from 2004 to 2008. Before this, Fiji had 12 Division One teams. Five teams were made up of the players from the 12 Division One teams, based on regional lines, with the aim of creating a "more competitive competition that leads on and provides a higher level of competitive domestic rugby".
The FRU also has developed a base pay for players at international level.
Domestic competitions include the Farebrother-Sullivan Cup, and a domestic 7s tournament.