Rugby union in Rotuma is a major sport.
[Fatiaki, Anselmo ''Rotuma, hanuạ pumue'' p19 (1991, University of the South Pacific. Institute of Pacific Studies, )] Rotuma is a dependency of
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
, although one with a distinctive culture and language more related to its neighbours in
Tonga and
Samoa.
The
Fiji Rugby Football Union is the governing body of
rugby union in Rotuma.
History
Rugby was introduced to Rotuma at the turn of the 20th century by sailors and New Zealand missionaries.
In 1910, a combined America Universities rugby team comprising mostly players from California,
Stanford
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
, and the
University of Nevada went on a tour of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
New Zealand, as well as Fiji and Rotuma. The underdog American side upset both Rotorua RFC and Auckland RU, which came as a great surprise to the international rugby community.
Rugby Sevens has been a sport in the
South Pacific Games since the late 1990s.
See also
*
Jono Gibbes (maternal side), a New Zealand rugby union player.
*
Graham Dewes, former Fiji rugby union player.
Rotuman Sports News from Bruce Tizard-Varcoe in England (30 September 2007)
/ref>
* NRL
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
player John Sutton.
* Gabriel Penjueli[Wesley, Fre]
An island, rugby and hope
Fijitimes Online (12 October 2006)
* Maka Kafoa[
* Freddy Kafoa][
* ]Chloe Butler
Chloe Butler (born 11 April 1987) is a female rugby union player and former gridiron football player.
Early life
Butler grew up on a cattle property in Croydon, Queensland, Australia. Butler moved to Canberra, was a Canberra Raiders cheerleader, ...
* Rebecca Tavo
*Nigel Simpson
Nigel Tausie Ashton Simpson (born 25 April 1975) is a former English rugby union player.
Biography
Simpson was born in Suva, Fiji and is of Rotuman and English descent. His mother is Rotuman from Malha'a, Rotuma and his father is English. ...
* Rocky Khan
* Ravai Fatiaki, a Fiji rugby union player.
*Sarafu Fatiaki
Sarafu Fatiaki (born 26 July 1990) is a Fijian rugby league footballer who played for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League. Fatiaki's preferred position is or lock.
Playing career
Fatiaki made his NRL debut against Parramatta ...
, former NRL
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
player for the Penrith Panthers.
* Lee Roy Atalifo
External links
* http://www.rotuma.net/os/sports/sports2009/sports0901.htm
DOI.org
* http://www.rotumabrisbane.com/
References
Sport in Rotuma
{{Fiji-sport-stub