Fijiana XV front rower Bitila Tawake says it is low of the Fiji Rugby Football Union Trust Board to compare the national side to the Fiji Warriors as they are two separate entities.
Tawake who also successfully led Rooster Chicken Fijian Drua to defend the Super W title said comparing the national side to a development side is disingenuous and if the Warriors had not performed they would have seen a similar fate as the women’s national side.
“If the Warriors didn’t win you wouldn’t have finished their pay as well,” Tawake said.
“This is an on-going trend and it’s continued to fail us rugby athletes.”
Tawake said the players sacrifice a lot for the nation and put their bodies on the line, with the pay promised them, their lone source of funds in a career they have dedicated themselves too.
“That allowance is income for us.”
“Gambling whether to pay us or not is a breach in a code of conduct to us ethically and against what we we stand for in our rugby values,” she added.
