Island rugby club kicks jerseys and gear across the Pacific to needy clubs in Fiji
Published 12:30 pm Thursday, December 18, 2025
A team in Fiji is now wearing the rugby kits of the Comox Valley Kickers.
“We planned a trip to Fiji and had heard that there is a need for rugby gear for teams here, especially jerseys and rugby boots,” said Nicole Pasquino, who is involved in both the Kickers and the Comox Valley Rapids rugby teams.
“So we reached out to the local rugby community and received training gear (which we ended up donating to a very rural island village in Malolo), a dozen pairs of rugby boots and a set of jerseys from the Kickers.”
Malolo is a volcanic island and the largest of the Mamanuca Islands. A lot of the boots, in addition to the training gear, were donated to the island’s youth.
Pasquino was also able to form a connection with a local rugby club in Lautoka, the second-largest city in Fiji. The club is called the Fiji Airways Babas, also known as the Devo Babas. They are the Fiji Union’s development team for the national Fiji Sevens team, playing in local tournaments.
“They are entering into their sevens season and are borrowing jerseys from another team,” Pasquino said. “So very grateful to receive a set of jerseys they could use as their own.”
Pasquino said she made the connection through a Fiji holiday group on Facebook. And then met with the team and brought them the jerseys.
She plans to stay in contact with the wife of the Devo Babas’ coach, and hopes for future connections and donations between the Comox Valley rugby community and the team.
“We also connected with another local team when we were in Fiji,” said Pasquino, who said they watched a sevens tournament in Sigatoka. “They have just started up a youth team and were interested in youth gear, so we have plans to reach out to them as well.”
The Devo Babas qualified for the 2026 McDonald’s Coral Coast Fiji 7’s, which will take place from Jan. 15 to 17 at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka. The qualified after beating several teams in the qualification tournament, also held in Sigatoka. They beat Usotasi Rugby 36-14 in the final and Nahevhevia Patriot 36-17.
“Regardless of where you are in the world, the shared love of rugby is a connection that always brings people together,” said Pasquino.