Fiji national rugby league team

Fiji
Team information
Nickname	Fiji Bati
Governing body	Fiji National Rugby League
Region	Asia-Pacific
Head coach	Wise Kativerata
Captain	Tui Kamikamica
Most caps	Kevin Naiqama (25)
Top try-scorer	Akuila Uate (14)
Top point-scorer	Wes Naiqama (132)
Home stadium	National Stadium
IRL ranking	6th
Uniforms
	First colours
	First colours
Team results
	First international
	Western Samoa 32–18 Fiji ; (Apia, Samoa; 1992)
	Biggest win
	Fiji 72–6 Wales ; (Townsville, Australia; 5 November 2017)
	Biggest defeat
	Australia 84–14 Fiji ; (Marathon Stadium, Newcastle; 12 July 1994)
	World Cup
Appearances	5 (first time in 1995)
Best result	Semifinals (2008, 2013, 2017)

The Fiji national rugby league team, nicknamed the Bati (pronounced [mˈbatʃi]), has been participating in international rugby league football since 1992. The team is controlled by the governing body for rugby league in Fiji, Fiji National Rugby League (FNRL), which is currently a member of the Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation (APRLC). Fiji have thrice reached the semi-finals of the Rugby League World Cup, in 2008, 2013 and 2017, and are currently ranked 6th in the International Rugby League's World Rankings. They are coached by Fijian Wise Kativerata, and their captain is Kevin Naiqama.

History

1990s

The game was introduced to Fiji only in 1992 but despite this there has been a long history of Fijian players making their mark in rugby league, most notably back in the 1960s when great players such as Joe Levula and Laitia Ravouvou joined Rochdale Hornets and became household names in the English competition.

Interest and participation in rugby league snowballed throughout Fiji, and as well as continued success in the Rugby League World Sevens, the Batis began playing full 13-aside games against international teams. By 1994, Fiji had hammered the Great Britain amateurs 40–8 and, captained by mighty front-rower James Pickering, beat France 20–12.

They had also produced their first rugby league superstar after winger Noa Nadruku joined Canberra Raiders and in 1993 became the top try-scorer in the Australian competition.

Fiji took part in their first World Cup in 1995 where, just as the 2000 World Cup, they had the misfortune to be placed in the same group as both England and Australia. But the Batis made a massive impression in their opening World Cup game in which they ran riot against South Africa, 52–6, and had the crowd on their feet at Keighley.

During the Super League war, Fiji, like most countries other countries, aligned itself with Super League. In search of international competition, the Australian Rugby League played a match against a "National Rugby League of Fiji" team in 1996. This match has been granted Test status by the ARL, but not by the Rugby League International Federation.

2000s

Coached by Don Furner, Sr. and captained by Lote Tuqiri, Fiji competed in the 2000 World Cup but did not progress past the tournament's group stage.

The Fiji Bati qualified for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup held in Australia after finishing second in Pacific qualifying behind Tonga. Fiji's qualification campaign started with a thrilling 30–28 loss to Samoa before reversing the scoreline a few days later with a 30–28 win over the Tongans. Fiji won their final qualifying game against Cook Islands 40–4. Having qualified the Vodafone Fiji Bati team started their Rugby League World Cup 2008 campaign with 42–6 win over France followed by a 2-point defeat to Scotland, however they topped their group with a superior points difference. Beating Ireland in their quarter final they came within one match of the World Cup final, but were defeated by Australia, ending the tournament in 4th place.

2010s

Fiji automatically qualified for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup after participating in the 2008 tournament. They took on Australia, England and Ireland in the pool stage. In their first match they took on 'the Wolfhounds'. They played at the famous Spotland Stadium, in Rochdale, where Fiji have an historic affiliation with. The Fijians convincingly won by a score of 32–14. As expected Fiji lost to both Australia and England, although they surprised many, as they only conceded 34 points against the teams in each game and they led 2–0 against Australia, and were within a few minutes of taking a half-time lead against England. Fiji would take on 'fierce Pacific rivals' Samoa in the quarter-final. They won the, passionate pacific, fixture and they would celebrate with a 22–4 victory. They celebrated even more, as it meant Fiji reached their second consecutive World Cup semi-final. They took on Australia again, but this game was nothing like the group stage fixture. Fiji's errors conceded them 62 points against a classy Australian side. This defeat ended and equalled their best World Cup campaign in their history.

In May 2014, Fiji took on Samoa in the 2014 Pacific Rugby League Test at Penrith Stadium. The International was created as a qualifier for the final 2014 Four Nations spot. It was also a chance for the Four Nations team (winner of this international) to warm-up before the event kicked off later in the year. Fiji failed to qualify with their fierce pacific rivals getting the better of them by 32–16.

In May 2015, Fiji took on Papua New Guinea in the 2015 Melanesian Cup test at Cbus Super Stadium. Fiji won the match and the inaugural Melanesian Cup title.^[1] Fiji never looked like losing the match after an easy first half performance, leading 18-0 at the break. They went on to win the test match by 22–10.

In May 2016, Fiji took on Papua New Guinea in the 2016 Melanesian Cup test at Pirtek Stadium. Fiji had a similar situation in this year's Melanesian Cup with a half-time score of 16–8 but this time around they conceded too many second half points allowing the Kumuls to make a shock comeback and win the match 24–22.

In the 2017 Rugby League World Cup in New Zealand & Australia, Fiji topped Group D before recording their biggest upset victory, defeating New Zealand 4–2 in the quarter-finals. They then lost to Australia 54–6 in the semi-finals.

2020s

Fiji automatically qualified for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup having reached the semi-finals of the previous Rugby League World Cup. The 2021 tournament will take place in England.

Kit

Primary

1992–1995

1995 World Cup

2008 World Cup

Players

Current squad

The squad selected for the match 2023 Pacific Championships.^[2] Statistics in the table are drawn from the website, Rugby League Project, and include the Bowl Final on 5 November 2023.

J#	Player	Age	Position(s)	Fiji Bati						Club	NRL		SL		Other Reps
J#	Player	Age	Position(s)	Dbt	M	T	G	F	P	Club	CM	TM	CM	TM	Other Reps
1	Jahream Bula	21	Fullback	2023	3	1	0	0	4	Wests Tigers	18	18	0	0
2	Maika Sivo	30	Wing	2019	10	9	0	0	36	Parramatta Eels	103	103	0	0
5	Mikaele Ravalawa	25	Centre, Wing	2019	5	0	0	0	0	St. George Illawarra Dragons	86	86	0	0
4	Waqa Blake	29	Centre, Wing	2017	5	3	0	0	12	Parramatta Eels	77	165	0	0	1
18	Jason Qareqare	19	Wing	2023	2	1	0	0	4	Castleford Tigers	—	0	21	21
6	Kurt Donoghoe	21	Five-eighth, Lock	2023	3	2	0	0	8	Dolphins (NRL)	8	8	0	0
7	Brandon Wakeham	24	Halfback, Five-eighth	2019	10	1	43	1	91	Wests Tigers	15	40	0	0
8	Tui Kamikamica	29	Prop	2016	19	3	0	0	12	Melbourne Storm	92	92	0	0
9	Penioni Tagituimua	24	Hooker	2019	11	2	0	0	8	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	—	0	0	0	1
10	King Vuniyayawa	28	Prop	2018	9	0	0	0	0	Salford Red Devils	—	5	44	60
13	Taane Milne	28	Second-row, Wing	2017	13	4	8	0	32	South Sydney Rabbitohs	48	67	0	0
12	Apisalome Saukuru	21	Second-row, Lock	2023	3	0	0	0	0	Wests Tigers	—	0	0	0
15	Caleb Navale	—	Lock	2023	3	1	0	0	4	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	—	0	0	0
11	Kitione Kautoga	21	Second-row	2023	2	0	0	0	0	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	0	1	0	0
16	Gordon Whippy	—	Prop	2023	3	0	0	0	0	Ipswich Jets	—	0	0	0
17	Watisoni Waqanisaravi	—	Prop	2023	2	0	0	0	0	Kaiviti Silktails	—	0	0	0
21	Pio Seci	30	Second-row	2016	5	1	0	0	4	Forbes Magpies	1	1	0	0
20	Sirilo Lovokuro	—	Lock	2023	2	0	0	0	0	Kaiviti Silktails	—	0	0	0
14	Noah Nailagoliva	—	Hooker	2023	2	0	0	0	0	Newcastle Knights	—	0	0	0
3	Sunia Turuva	21	Centre, Wing	2022	6	4	0	0	16	Penrith Panthers	29	29	0	0
–	Mesake Ravonu	—	Prop	2023	1	0	0	0	0	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	—	0	0	0

Notes:

Age is as at the last match date, 5 November 2023.
Players listed in order of jumper number for the 5 November 2023 match, as given in the team list on the NRL website.
Waqa Blake has previously played for City Origin.
Penioni Tagituimua played for the Fiji Prime Minister's XIII in 2019.
Clubs outside the NRL and Super League are shaded in the above table.

Records

Bold- denotes that the player is still active.

Most capped players

#	Name	Career	Caps
1	Kevin Naiqama	2009-2022	25
2	Akuila Uate	2006-2018	18
3	Apisai Koroisau	2013-2022	17
	Tui Kamikamica	2016-2022	17
	Eloni Vunakece	2007-2018	17
6	Viliame Kikau	2015-2022	16
6	Junior Roqica	2011-2019	16
8	Ashton Sims	2008-2017	15
9	Wes Naiqama	2006-2014	14
	James Storer	2008-2017	14
	Ben Nakubuwai	2016-2022	14

Top try scorers

#	Name	Career	Tries
1	Akuila Uate	2006-2018	14
2	Suliasi Vunivalu	2017-2019	12
3	Viliame Kikau	2015-2022	11
4	Kevin Naiqama	2009-2022	10
5	Jarryd Hayne	2008, 2017-2018	8

Top points scorers

#	Name	Career	Points	Tries	Goals
1	Wes Naiqama	2006-2014	132	7	52
2	Brandon Wakeham	2019-2022	66	1	31
3	Akuila Uate	2006-2018	56	14	0
4	Suliasi Vunivalu	2017-2019	50	12	1
5	Apisai Koroisau	2013-2022	46	1	21

Competitive record

The table below shows Fiji's all-time international rugby league record as of 5 November 2023.^[3] They have been participating in International fixtures since 1992.^[4]

Country	Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win %	For	Aga	Diff
American Samoa	1	1	0	0	100%	16	14	+2
Australia	7	0	0	7	0%	24	378	–354
Australian Aboriginies	1	1	0	0	100%	21	20	+1
Canada	1	1	0	0	100%	26	12	+14
Cook Islands	13	7	1	5	53.85%	349	219	+130
England	4	0	0	4	0%	22	196	–174
England Knights	1	1	0	0	100%	44	8	+36
France	2	2	0	0	100%	62	18	+44
Great Britain	1	0	0	1	0%	4	72	–68
Ireland	2	2	0	0	100%	62	28	+34
Italy	2	2	0	0	100%	98	14	+84
Lebanon	4	2	0	2	50%	118	118	0
Māori	1	0	0	1	0%	12	32	–20
New Zealand	2	1	0	1	50%	22	26	-4
New Zealand XIII	1	1	0	0	100%	34	16	+18
Niue	2	1	0	1	50%	34	38	–4
Papua New Guinea	15	5	0	10	33.33%	251	353	–102
Rotuma	1	1	0	0	100%	32	12	+20
Russia	1	1	0	0	100%	38	12	+26
Samoa	12	8	0	4	66.67%	274	184	+90
Scotland	2	1	0	1	50%	46	32	+14
South Africa	1	1	0	0	100%	52	6	+46
Tonga	13	5	1	7	38.46%	221	296	–75
United States	1	1	0	0	100%	58	12	+46
Wales	1	1	0	0	100%	72	6	+66
Total	92	46	2	44	50%	1992	2122	–130

Rugby League World Cup

World Cup record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L	D
1995	Group stage	6/10	3	1	2	0
2000	Group stage	12/16	3	1	2	0
2008	Semi-finals	4/10	4	2	2	0
2013	Semi-finals	4/14	5	2	3	0
2017	Semi-finals	4/14	5	4	1	0
2021	Quarter-Finals	6/16	4	2	2	0
(TBD) 2026	qualified
Total	0 Titles	4/13	24	12	12	0

Four Nations

Four Nations record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L	D
2009	Not Invited
2010	Failed to Qualify
2011	Not Invited
2014	Failed to Qualify
2016	Not Invited
Total	0 Titles	0/5	0	0	3	0

Pacific Cup

Pacific Cup record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L	D
1992	Group stage	9/10	4	1	3	0
1994	Second Place	2/10	6	4	2	0
1997	Group stage	5/6	3	0	2	1
2004	Group stage	4/6	2	1	1	0
2006	Second Place	2/6	3	2	1	0
2009	Semi-finals	3/5	2	1	1	0
Total	0 Titles	6/12	20	9	10	1

Other competitions

Fiji have also participated in:

IRL Rankings

IRL Men's World Rankings v t e
Official rankings as of 30 June 2024
Rank	Change	Team	Pts %
1		Australia	100
2		New Zealand	82
3		England	80
4		Samoa	67
5		Tonga	49
6	1	Fiji	49
7	1	Papua New Guinea	47
8		France	28
9		Lebanon	22
10		Cook Islands	20
11		Serbia	19
12		Netherlands	17
13		Italy	15
14	1	Greece	15
15	1	Malta	14
16		Ireland	14
17		Wales	13
18		Jamaica	10
19		Scotland	9
20		Ukraine	7
21		Czech Republic	7
22		Germany	6
23	3	Chile	6
24		Poland	6
25	3	Norway	6
26	1	Kenya	5
27	4	Philippines	5
28	3	South Africa	4
29		Nigeria	4
30		Ghana	4
31	2	United States	4
32	4	Montenegro	4
33	2	Brazil	3
34	2	Turkey	3
35	7	North Macedonia	3
36	2	Bulgaria	3
37	2	Cameroon	2
38	1	Spain	2
39	1	Japan	1
40	1	Albania	1
41	5	Canada	1
42	2	Colombia	1
43	2	El Salvador	1
44	1	Morocco	1
45		Russia	0
46	2	Sweden	0
47	2	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0
48	2	Hungary	0
49	3	Argentina	0
50		Hong Kong	0
51	3	Solomon Islands	0
52	5	Niue	0
53	1	Latvia	0
54	1	Denmark	0
55	6	Belgium	0
56	1	Estonia	0
57	6	Vanuatu	0
Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT