The Queensland Reds have launched a recruitment drive in Fiji as they look to rebound from a disappointing Super 15 season.
Operations manager and former Wallaby scrum-half Sam Cordingley, was scouting for talent on Saturday at the local league semi-final between Nadroga and Suva and said the Fijian’s natural attacking flair was a good fit for the Queenslanders.
The Reds suffered a disastrous 2014 season in which they crashed to 13th in the Southern Hemisphere championship, just three years after being crowned champions.
Cordingley said he was working on returning the Reds to the top and Fiji was a good place to start.
“We have a number of foreign positions within our senior squad which open up opportunities for Fijian players and we are also open to developing players within our academy,” Cordingley told AFP.
Two Fijians, Chris Kuridrani and Samu Kerevi, were in the Reds squad this year but had limited game time.
“There is also a large Fijian community within Brisbane and with the short distance between Queensland and Fiji it obviously makes the transition for players easier,” Cordingley said.
Meanwhile, as the Reds looked to recruit senior players from Fiji, New Zealand was targeting schoolboys, the Fiji Times reported.
Hamilton Boys High School, the leading rugby school in the catchment area of two-time Super champions Waikato Chiefs, was looking for suitable players to be offered scholarships for next year.