ELEVEN Flying Fijians have been drafted into the Fiji Airways Drua team for the 2018 National Rugby Championship compared with two who featured last year.
The NRC is a professional rugby competition organised by the Australian Rugby Union.
The Drua started its preparation on Saturday gearing up to the first match next month which will be held at Ratu Cakobau Park in Nausori.
Coach Senirusi Seruvakula said the NRC competition had been an impact to local players and had lifted their standard of performance.
“Last year we had two Flying Fijians in the squad and after the competition they were drafted into the Flying Fijians team,” Seruvakula said.
“We have eleven players this year and this competition is the pathway for other players to the Warriors and to the Flying Fijians teams.”
The Drua extended squad is selected across the country through the B Division and major union competitions.
“It’s their consistency in the Skipper Cup and the Vodafone Vanua Cup that gave them the opportunity to play in the Drua,” Seruvakula said.
Mosese Voka, Ratu Naisa Navuma, Eroni Mawi, Kalivati Tawake, Mosese Ducivaki, Seru Vularika and Frank Lomani are some of the players who were drafted into the Flying Fijians squad last year.
The Drua team will play Melbourne Rising in their first encounter in the NRC competition at Ratu Cakobau Park in Nausori.
