South Sea Hornets

Semi Tadulala

I feel like I am at home when I turned up here. I was a bit surprised, how many of us were here in one place, especially here in England, such a long way from home.

Semi Tadulala
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With the World Cup fast approaching Boots 'n' All look at the close bond between Rochdale and Fiji.

The game of Rugby League has been played in Fiji since as early as 1881, but it was not until the 1960s when the exotic association between the Lancashire town and the South Sea Islands started.

Mike Ratu Snr, who joined the Rochdale Hornets via the British Army remembers the controversy that followed when the first two Fijians left for Rochdale.

"I can remember the paramount chief of Fiji, in his days he did not allow any Fijians to leave Fiji - they could get educated somewhere else, but they had to return," remembers Ratu Snr.

"He believed that Fijians belong to Fiji. When he passed away in 1958, it opened the doors for people to leave.

"Orisi Dawai and Joe Levula were the first Fijians to leave and come and live abroad. Immediately after that 200 boys joined the British Army and I was one of them."

Rochdale was the place of choice for players arriving from the South Seas and today the Fijian community is thriving.

Mike Ratu's son, Mike Ratu Jnr is running the Fijian side for the Headingley floodlit 9s tournament, whilst his son is on the Leeds books.

"The tournament is probably the last opportunity for some of the UK-based Fijian players to get into the World Cup squad," said Mike Ratu Jnr, Chairman of the Rochdale Fijian association.

"The selectors will be looking and overseeing some of the lads here and hopefully they can get them in the squad."

Training for the 9s tournaments has brought together players from league and union and there is definitely a Fijian family feel.

"I feel like I am at home when I turned up here," said Bradford Bulls and Fiji star Semi Tadulala. "I was a bit surprised, how many of us were here in one place, especially here in England, such a long way from home.

"The big focus is the World Cup coming up, we have a good pool with Scotland and France and I think we will have a good chance of making the play-offs."