{"id":804173,"date":"2026-10-16T06:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T06:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/804173\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T06:00:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T06:00:10","slug":"unrecognisable-life-rugby-world-cup-icon-became-taxi-driver-after-losing-fortune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/804173\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Unrecognisable life&#8221; \u2013 Rugby World Cup icon became taxi driver after losing fortune"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Former Fiji superstar Rupeni Caucaunibuca was once one of the most feared players in world rugby, but his life took a dramatic turn after retirement.<\/p>\n<p>The legendary winger lit up the 2003 Rugby World Cup with his incredible pace, power and footwork.<\/p>\n<p>He went on to become a superstar in France, earning substantial money during spells with Agen and Toulouse.<\/p>\n<p>But after hanging up his boots, the man nicknamed the &#8216;Bua Bullet&#8217; found himself facing financial ruin.<\/p>\n<p>His remarkable story would eventually see him swap the rugby pitch for a taxi in Fiji.<\/p>\n<p>And even that fresh start came with an unexpected setback.<\/p>\n<p>One of rugby&#8217;s greatest talents<\/p>\n<p>Caucaunibuca was almost impossible to stop at his peak.<\/p>\n<p>He announced himself to the world at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, scoring sensational tries against France and Scotland.<\/p>\n<p>His performances made him an instant fan favourite.<\/p>\n<p>Despite winning just eight caps for Fiji, he earned a reputation as one of the most naturally gifted players of his generation.<\/p>\n<p>RUCK previously included the Fiji superstar among the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ruck.co.uk\/rugby-news\/the-10-greatest-wingers-in-rugby-history-ranked-10-1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">10 greatest wingers in rugby history<\/a>, alongside legends such as Jonah Lomu and Bryan Habana.<\/p>\n<p>He later became a huge star in France, winning the country&#8217;s Player of the Year award in 2006.<\/p>\n<p>But his success on the pitch did not guarantee a comfortable retirement.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>How the Fiji legend lost his fortune<\/p>\n<p>After returning to Fiji, Caucaunibuca admitted he had spent the money earned during his professional career.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Oceans-Apart-Greed-Betrayal-Pacific\/dp\/B0FXTZFWYD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2019 documentary Oceans Apart,<\/a> he revealed his biggest regret.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I regret it. I should have kept a few hundred thousand for after rugby but it&#8217;s too late, I&#8217;ve already spent it all, for nothing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The former winger explained that much of his money had gone on drinking and helping other people.<\/p>\n<p>His financial troubles also included a reported \u20ac250,000 penalty following a disputed pre-contract agreement in France.<\/p>\n<p>He is not the only rugby star to experience serious money problems after retirement.<\/p>\n<p>England&#8217;s 2003 World Cup winner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ruck.co.uk\/rugby-news\/2003-rugby-world-cup-winner-remains-bankrupt-and-hes-not-the-only-one\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Lawrence Dallaglio has also faced bankruptcy<\/a>, highlighting the financial challenges some former internationals have faced.<\/p>\n<p>With his playing days behind him, Caucaunibuca needed a new way to support his family.<\/p>\n<p>That was when the rugby community stepped in.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Rugby superstar becomes taxi driver<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, former Samoa international Daniel Leo and Pacific Rugby Players Welfare helped raise more than $20,000 for the Fiji legend.<\/p>\n<p>The money gave Caucaunibuca the chance to launch his own taxi business.<\/p>\n<p>He began operating around Labasa, with the service named the Bua Bullet in honour of his famous rugby nickname<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Fiji superstar Rupeni Caucaunibuca was once one of the most feared players in world rugby, but his&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":804174,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[264049,5903,118921,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-804173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-fiji-rugby-news","tag-rugby","tag-rugby-news","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=804173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/804174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=804173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=804173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=804173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}