The Wellington Fijian Flyers, 2023 Bula 7s champions. Photo: Wellington Fijian Flyers
The Bula Sevens rugby tournament in Wellington in January will be an opportunity for Fijian players in New Zealand to show their skills to selectors.
The event, organised by the Wellington Flyers rugby club, is inviting sevens rugby teams from around New Zealand to register.
Organisers says they are hopeful they can get clubs which include Fijian players, so they can get the opportunity to play in front of Fijian coach Ben Gollings and his assistant Viliame Satala via livestream.
The tournament will be hosted at the Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua.
The organisers are also hoping to give players in New Zealand who will compete at the event the chance to also showcase themselves to New Zealand, Samoan and Tongan sevens selectors.
Current New Zealand 7s coach Tomasi Cama is a Fijian who had come to play rugby here in New Zealand before he broke into the New Zealand sevens team.
Wellington Fijian Flyers spokesman Iliki Naikatini told RNZ Pacific the event is something they have grown over the past three years, with the aim of turning it into an international event.
There is hope that it also can become a selection ground for Fijian players in New Zealand who are eligible to represent Fiji in the abbreviated code.
The tournament will be hosted at the Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua. Photo: Wellington Fijian Flyers
Or eligible to represent New Zealand and Pacific teams like Samoa and Tonga.
"We hope that we can attract 20 good teams to the event," Naikatinu said.
"There is still some time yet. And hopefully some of the players who compete at the event or the future tournaments can be considered for national team selection.
"Or to even represent New Zealand or other teams like Samoa, Tonga and Australia globally. A chance to experience international levels stepping into their professional career."
The 2022 Cup Winner was the New Zealand Invitational side, which included current New Zealand sevens reps.
The 2023 champion is the Wellington Fijian Flyers.
Naikatini said they would like to see more teams that have players from the Pacific islands also compete at their event.
The Wellington Fijian Flyers hope to develop their tournament into an international event also as there is no international sevens rugby tournament staged in New Zealand anymore, following the lapse of the Wellington and Hamilton 7s events, hosted by World Rugby.
There is also hope that a team could be selected from New Zealand to compete in Fiji.
The Fiji Rugby Union used to host the Fiji International Sevens event in the past, where a New Zealand Fijian selection joins an Australian Fijian Selection at the Suva event.
Some players who were selected into the Fijian national side from the overseas teams included Jona Qio from the New Zealand Fijians and Eparama Tuvunivono from the Australian Fijians.
The tournament aims to get 20 teams to compete for the $10,000 first prizemoney in the one-day event.
