It has been three decades since Votualevu has been without a rugby team but that has changed after moves to revive the club has materialised.

The Votualevu housing subdivision close to the Nadi International Airport has been the breeding place of many of our former national rugby sevens and fifteens star players.

During the club’s hey days, it produced players like the legendary flanker Iokimi ‘Iron Man’ Finau who captained Nadi and the Flyin
Fijians in the 1980s.

The Rabaka brothers, of Samisoni, Tomasi and Saula who played for the Cavaliers under the leadership of the late Don Collingwood.

The brothers played for the national sevens team while Samioni and Tomasi went on to play for the Flying Fijians. Another, top sevens
player for the club is winger Benji Navunisalevu.

The club also produced top footballers like former Nadi and national striker Usaia Visawaqa and Akariva Ramusu.

Club president Waqa Vulawalu said that the Votualevu Housing area has been in the red zone for some time for all sorts of reasons.

“We want to change the perceptive of the area, and one of the ways is to bring back the team, which had gone defunct 30 years ago,” Vulawalu said.

He said the power of rugby would enable many of their young men to secure contracts with overseas clubs and bring a new lease of life to their families.

“We have about 120 youths in the  area, and most of them are school dropouts and unemployed. We want to bring them together for the
betterment of the community. We also have a gold mine within our reach, we have the Drua franchise, the bigger picture to fight poverty
to some extent,” said Vulawalu.

He added that the community and all denominations have been united for the same vision and mission.

The club’s team manager is Vikatoria Rabaka, and the team chaplain is Seremaia ‘Tablee’ Visawaqa.

“We have started training to participate in the next rugby sevens tournament and then to also have a team to play in the Nadi Rugby Union in the not-distant future.”

Feedback: waisean@fijisun.com.fj