Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 365

diving, swimming or drinking kava with the
locals.
From time to time, Madventurer also takes
guests to spend a few days in the village of
Nakavika, occasionally doing some training
there. Should you get the chance, it's a wonderful
opportunity to live for a few days in a rural
home, fishing with the family and perhaps
learning to cook a few Fijian dishes. And if, in a
few years' time, you're watching the World Cup
when one of your protégés scores a try, you can
nod sagely and say to your friends: “I taught him
everything he knows.”

499 Teach rugby in fiji

Known for their ferocious tackling and some
of the most imaginative play in the sport, the
Fijians wouldn't seem to be much in need of
rugby tuition. But while the nation's raw talent is
undeniable, there is little to no coaching at junior
level and as a result many children never get
the chance to nurture their skills. It's one of the
reasons that although the country excels at the
more free-flowing sevens version, it struggles to
translate this into the fifteen-a-side union game.
On a Madventurer two-week coaching holiday,
you'll work with kids between the ages of 6-14,
passing on what you learned at school or your
club about the increasingly complicated (and
ever-changing) rules and tactics of rugby union.
Accommodation is at the organization's base in
a house in the suburbs of Lautoka, the second-
largest town on the islands. You'll share a
room with up to five other people and tuck into
traditional Fijian meals, such as sweet potato
and pineapple bake or lentil and potato curry,
courtesy of Madventurers cook Mere. Outside
of training - which starts at noon on weekdays
and continues for most of the afternoon - there's
plenty of time to indulge in other Fijian
pastimes, such as heading down to the beach,

Need to know Two-week rugby training trips
take place between February and September. You
can combine this with one of the other Fijian trips
Madventurer runs, such as teaching or constructing
buildings in a village. For further information see
W www.madventurer.com; T [phone]
1996.

Young Fijian rugby players