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Fiji is a country replete worth sparkling azure waters, gigantic coral reefs and a vibrant, multi-faceted culture that is virtually a mishmash of many others. This is the image that comes to your mind when you think of Fiji. Not anymore. The prevalent scene all over Fiji is now a gang of men, panting and puffing, falling all over themselves and then sprinting across a field tightly clutching an oval ball. Rugby in Fiji is this popular. In fact, Rugby in Fiji is by far the most popular of the various Sports in Fiji and emphatically so. Rugby in Fiji is also one of the most popular modes of Adventure and Recreation in Fiji. About Rugby in Fiji Rugby in Fiji boasts of an ancient lineage, being first played way back in the 1880s by the European and Fijian soldiers. The sport notched up a popularity level high enough to merit the founding of an Union, the Fiji RFU (Rugby Football Union) in 1913 and the very first Fiji Rugby competition was held in 1914. Rugby at Fiji had its real high with its first overseas match in 1924 against Samoa, which Fiji won 6-0. Rugby in Fiji penetrated the echelons of society with the commencement of the Fiji Schools Competition in 1928. Rugby fever was thus unleashed. Rugby in Fiji was thus slowly but steadily making its presence felt in the global arena and tours to Australia and Europe soon followed. The burly players mesmerized the crowds all over with their agility, dexterity and a game-play that was refreshingly different from the prevalent styles of that time. The Fiji Rugby juggernaut continued with Hong Kong Sevens championship titles in the years 1984, 1991 and 1992, and finally the 2005 7s World Cup in 2005. Fiji has also won the most number of Pacific Tri-Nations Championships. In the present times, the Fiji Rugby Union has a strength of around 80, 000 players, quite staggering a number considering that the Fiji population is around 950,000. Many of its national players have lucrative contracts in Europe or with the Super 14. Rugby, Fiji-style is fast and furious action that follows the reverberating and energetic "cibi", the Fijian war dance that the Fiji Rugby team performs before every test match. The war cry has really been sounded. Fiji Rugby has arrived and it's "Beware! All Blacks.".
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