It’s business as usual for the Fijian Drua despite the country’s director of women’s rugby being sacked over her anti-gay stance, three weeks out from the Super Rugby Women’s season opener in Sydney.
That is the assertion of Drua skipper Bitila Tawake after former Fiji captain Laijipa Naulivou was fired by the Fiji Rugby Union, who said they needed to reinforce a “commitment to upholding professional standards” and safeguard “the integrity of Fiji Rugby”.
Naulivou told the Fiji Sun “those who played with me know that I do not condone being gay for women in rugby”.
“I always speak against it and I know I’m very unpopular in that area with those who practice it,” she said, later referring to “this gay problem” as one of the issues for rugby in Fiji.
The report cited alleged rifts related to sexuality in the women’s sevens squad as a reason for Fiji finishing a disappointing 12th at the 2024 Paris Olympics after losing all five games – three years after taking bronze in Tokyo.
Naulivou also claimed that same-sex player relationships was “one big drawback” when the Fiji women’s team participated in a previous sevens tournament, and that a “gay problem” was affecting player retention across European nations.
“I rather not comment on that but so far the girls are in good spirits coming into this week,” Tawake said at Wednesday’s Super Rugby Women’s season launch at North Sydney Oval.
“We usually keep things off the field and on the on the field so, yeah, everyone just wants to keep it that way.”
After winning back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, the Drua lost last year’s final 50-14 to the NSW Waratahs.
Waratahs captain Piper Duck on Wednesday supported the Fiji Rugby Union decision to let Naulivou go just four days into the role, saying it was important for the game to continue “progressing in the right direction”.
“Rugby is an extremely inclusive sport. The reason I love rugby is the inclusivity of both sexuality, religion, gender, body type, everything,” Duck told AAP.
“We are an inclusive environment and that’s why I love the game.
“That is what rugby is and it’s the reason I play it and I’m so grateful to be somewhere I feel like I can be myself and I am so welcomed and so loved.”
Piper’s Waratahs host the Fijian Drua in the season opener at Allianz Stadium on February 28.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/rugby-union/gay-problem-fijian-drua-move-on-after-director-axed-c-17776498
