Lote Tuqiri has slammed Super Rugby Pacific’s ‘unacceptable’ mistreatment of the travelling Fijian Drua and hopes such a ‘ridiculous’ turn of events never happens again after the team were photographed being forced to travel in the back of a luggage truck.
The Fiji-born legend and dual Australian international also took aim at New Zealand’s ‘lack of hospitality’ after learning the Drua were forced out of their hotel room in Napier, with nowhere to go and rest, several hours before playing the well-accommodated Hurricanes in round two a fortnight ago.
But Tuqiri’s biggest beef is how officials, in this day and age, could have not organised better transport than what the professional rugby were forced to endure on a horror night on February 21.
Having landed in New Zealand just before midnight, 16 hours before kick-off against the Hurricanes in a location several hours’ drive away, the Drua squad could not locate the bus booked by Super Rugby organisers to transport them to their hotel.
After discovering the bus company’s apparent mistake, the Fijian outfit piled into the back of a truck booked to transport the team’s luggage and equipment.
‘It’s ridiculous,’ Tuqiri said.
Fijian-Australian rugby legend Lote Tuqiri has slammed this image of the Fijian Drua side being transported in the back of a truck
Tuqiri has Fijian heritage and played for the NSW Waratahs and Australian Wallabies during his rugby career
The Drua went down to the Highlanders in a thriller, with many fans pointing to their poor lead-up as a reason for the late capitulation
‘You’d think the organisers would have it sorted, given how old the competition is. It’s not like a new competition.
‘It was probably not meant but, I mean, it’s actually unacceptable.’
Even after finally arriving at a hotel they had to share with the Hurricanes, the Drua players and staff were told they could not get a late check-out like their hosts enjoyed, before the 4pm kick-off on Saturday.
‘You can’t expect a team to be treated that way,’ Tuqiri said.
‘They’re not an under-11s or under-12s team who have put funds together (for a junior road-trip).
‘They’re a professional outfit and they should be treated accordingly.’
Compounding the Drua’s frustration, they lost on the buzzer 38-34, having also let a late lead slip in round one at home against the ACT Brumbies.
‘I don’t think we got all the favours landing in Wellington. We didn’t have a bus ready, unfortunately, and then even when we got to the hotel in Napier, we didn’t have a room ready,’ Drua coach Glen Jackson lamented. ‘So there were plenty of things that went against us.’
Bear in mind every Super Rugby side that comes to Fiji will get police escort everywhere they go. Yet this is a picture of a super rugby side that’s sitting at the back of a truck going to their hotel in NZ!!!! DVC. #breaksme pic.twitter.com/btHTo8CWLR
— nemzy (@nemani_nadolo) March 6, 2025
Then, after a six-day turnaround, the travel-weary Drua also blew a late lead against the NSW Waratahs in Sydney last Friday night.
Rugby were fans were equally shocked to see the image, asking how it was allowed to happen.
‘This is sad. When these teams visit our shores, we prepare & welcome them as if they were our own. Why Kiwis?’ asked one fan.
‘I am shocked and completely saddened by this. Isn’t AusPacificSports funding these kinds of things and supporting Fijian Rugby?’ questioned another.
‘What’s crazy is this group of guys will take something like this in their stride and make the best of it. That in no way means it should happen to them and people should not be taking advantage of their good nature,’ posted yet another.
Tuqiri, a 2003 Wallabies World Cup finalist and dual NRL premiership winner with Brisbane and South Sydney, said losing three straight tight contests against Super Rugby heavyweights was tough.
But the proud Fijian Australian considers the treatment in New Zealand even tougher to swallow.
‘To be fair, I’m actually a little bit surprised at the New Zealanders’ lack of hospitality,’ Tuqiri said.
Tuquiri wants to see better treatment for travelling Fiji teams, especially as the island nation rolls out the red carpet for visiting sides
‘In the sense that they [Fiji and NZ] are close neighbours.
‘Obviously the hotel was booked out and there were things going on that you can’t control, but I think those sort of things you can (find a solution to).
‘You can’t have blokes walking around on game day, sitting in parks, lying down in the lobby and this, that and the other.
‘It’s an unfair playing field. Getting in at 12 at night, the bus not being there … it’s just ridiculous. It surely can’t happen again.
‘I’m sure it’s probably happened before but things have probably been put into place since.
‘I don’t know the ins and outs of it but this shouldn’t be happening from a professional standpoint.
‘The competition has been running now for 30-odd years.’
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Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2025-03-07 00:57:54
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