Tuni continues to strive
19 year old Meli Tuni is a rising star set to feature for the Swire Shipping Fijian Warriors in the World Rugby Pacific Championship later next month.
Like many Fijian children, Tuni was obsessed with rugby from a young age, mesmorised by every performance of the national team, with his passion intensifying the minute he stepped onto the field himself, in the Under 9s.
Tuni who hails from Vuci, Tokatoka, Tailevu was enjoying every bit of his early rugby journey until his parents banned him from playing the sport at age 11 to focus on his studies.
Naturally devastated this did not deter him from pursuing his rugby dream.
“I was enjoying playing rugby in the Kaji rugby competition until my parents banned me from playing and I was devastated, of course I had to stop playing as they wanted me to focus on my studies, and it was a challenge for me and also a test, i had to make sacrifices and challenge myself to make my parents proud and continue my rugby journey at a higher level”
This was exactly how the story played for Tumi who, as a student at Ratu Kadavulevu School developed his game right to the top being part of the team who won the 2018 Deans Trophy.
“I continued playing rugby in Under 15 till under 18 and I was really getting into the rhythm of the game, I was loving it.
I kept on doing the work to get better at it, when we won the Deans trophy back in 2018, I knew that I had to continue to push through my rugby journey.”
For Tuni the Deans title was just a beginning, aspiring to reach higher goals, his character and values earnt him representative honours with the Vodafone Fijian Under-20 team at the World Rugby Under-20 Championship last year.
At just 19 years old his maturity continues to develop paying attribution to the tough pathway to achieving his goals.
“We are humans and we will always face hardship throughout our life journey which is part and parcel of life, I’ve been through many situations, that would have thrown in the towel for me, but this is not the case as I always put my God first and rely on him, so when I’m in a tough situation I know that’s not the end of the road and ill keep on pushing forward”
Tuni is about to take another step on his rugby with the Warriors and the World Rugby Pacific Challenge and is determined to work his way right to the peak, but knows there’s a long way to go.
“Im now in a stage where I’ve been wanting to be, and I’ll not stop here, I’ll continue to push forward to keep moving to the next stage and that is to be a Flying Fijian and I know that comes with a lot of work and determination”
For him, what makes playing rugby in Fiji great is the fact that everything about the game is a challenge but yet enjoyable.
He believes that nothing is too hard to be achieved, you just have to believe it, and do the work.
Tumi is part of the Swire Shipping Fijians Warriors who will compete in next month’s World Rugby Pacific Challenge with Junior Japan, Tonga A and Samoa A. Matches kick off on Friday 6th March at the ANZ Stadium, Suva.