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	7th
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	‹See Tfd› 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 Tui Kamikamica. The team will typically perform the hymn "Noqu Masu" before each match, singing in unison.^[1]

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.^[2]

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 vs Samoa at the 2013 Rugby League World Cup

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.^[3] 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

Kit suppliers and sponsors

Period	Kit provider	Sponsor on front of shirt	Sponsor on top of back of shirt	Sponsor on sleeves
2024–present	Dynasty Sport	Sky Sport

Players

Current squad

A squad of 25 players selected for the 2025 Pacific Championships was announced on 3 October 2025 on social media.^[4] On 9 October, a revised squad of 20 players was announced.^[5]^[6]

Jersey numbers in the table reflect team selection for the Round 3 match versus PNG Kumuls

Statistics in the table are drawn from the website, Rugby League Project. They include the match versus the PNG Kumuls on 1 November 2025.

J#	Player	Age	Position(s)	Fiji Bati						Club	Club Matches
J#	Player	Age	Position(s)	Dbt	M	T	G	F	P	Club	Tier 1	Tier 2
1	Jahream Bula	23	Fullback	2023	5	5	0	0	20	Wests Tigers	57	3
2	Sunia Turuva	23	Wing, Fullback	2022	10	5	0	0	20	Wests Tigers	76	33
3	Jope Rauqe	—	Centre	2025	1	0	0	0	0	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	0	0
4	Semi Valemei	26	Centre, Wing	2022	10	5	0	0	20	North Queensland Cowboys	46	35
5	Ronald Philitoga	24	Wing	2025	1	0	0	0	0	Wynnum Manly Seagulls	0	27
6	Kurt Donoghoe	23	Five-eighth, Lock	2023	7	3	0	0	12	Dolphins (NRL)	40	24
7	Brandon Wakeham	26	Halfback	2019	13	1	50	1	105	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	40	75
8	Tui Kamikamica	31	Prop	2016	24	3	0	0	12	Melbourne Storm	138	72
9	Penioni Tagituimua	26	Hooker	2019	16	2	0	0	8	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	0	10
17	Kylan Mafoa	—	Prop	2024	3	0	0	0	0	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	0	7
11	Taane Milne	30	Second-row, Centre	2017	17	4	16	0	48	Huddersfield Giants	109	73
12	Kitione Kautoga	23	Second-row	2023	6	4	0	0	16	Parramatta Eels	18	40
13	Caleb Navale	22	Lock, Second-row	2023	7	2	0	0	8	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	9	29
14	Terrell Kalokalo	22	Fullback, Wing	2025	2	0	0	0	0	South Sydney Rabbitohs	0	10
15	Solomone Saukuru	20	Centre	2025	2	2	0	0	8	Wests Tigers	0	0
16	Ben Nakubuwai	29	Prop, Second-row	2016	17	5	0	0	20	Norths Devils	62	80
19	Keresi Maya	—	Lock	2025	2	0	0	0	0	Fiji Navy Albatross	0	0
19	Akuila Qoro	—	Second-row	—	0	0	0	0	0	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	0	0
10	Michael Waqa	20	Prop	2025	1	0	0	0	0	Brisbane Broncos	0	7
20	Gabriel Tunimakubu	—	Prop	—	0	0	0	0	0	Kaiviti Silktails	0	0
–	Michael Jennings	37	Centre	2024	3	3	0	0	12	St Marys Saints	307	6
IJ	Jethro Rinakama	19	Wing	2025	1	0	0	0	0	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	6	14

Notes:

Age is as at the last update, 5 October 2025, where known.
Clubs outside the NRL and Super League are shaded in the above table.
Mark Nawaqanitawase was bracketed with Ronald Philitoga to mitigate for the possibility, which transpired, that he was selected for the 2025 Kangaroo tour of England.^[7]
The squad revision saw the addition of Michael Jennings and Penioni Tagituimua.
The seven players to drop out of the squad were current NRL players Samuela Fainu and Sione Fainu (both Wests Tigers), Waqa Blake (Bradford Bulls) and state cup players Josese Lanyon (Wests Tigers, 1 NSW Cup match, mostly a Jersey Flegg player in 2025), Newtown Jets pair Jordin Leiu and Meli Nasau, and Joseph Litdamu (Western Clydesdales)
Gabriel Tunimakubu, captain of the Kaiviti Silktails in the 2025 Jersey Flegg Cup for Under 21 players, was called into the squad to replace the injured Ben Nakubuwai.^[8]^[9]^[5]^[6]
Several players were selected from under 21 feeder teams of NRL clubs:
- Solomone Saukuru (Wests Tigers, NSW Jersey Flegg Cup)
- Akuila Qoro (Kaiviti Silktails, NSW Jersey Flegg Cup)
- Jope Rauqe (Canterbury Bulldogs, NSW Jersey Flegg Cup)
- Michael Waqa (Brisbane Broncos, NRLQ Series)
Two players were selected from Queensland Cup teams:
- Norths Devils: Ben Nakubuwai
- Wynnum Manly Seagulls: Ronald Philitoga
One player was selected from Fiji-based club:
- Navy Albatross: Keresi Maya
One player was selected from the third tier Ron Massey Cup:
- St Marys Saints: Michael Jennings. In addition to previously playing for Australia (7), Tonga (10) and New South Wales (18), Jennings had represented the NRL All Stars (3), Prime Minister's XIII (4), and NSW City (4).
Penioni Tagituimua was the only member of the squad to play for the Fiji Prime Minister's XIII in 2019.

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 21 October 2024.^[10] They have been participating in International fixtures since 1992.^[11]

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	15	9	1	5	60%	449	251	+198
England	3	0	0	3	0%	22	146	–124
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 Residents	1	1	0	0	100%	34	16	+18
Niue	2	1	0	1	50%	34	38	–4
Papua New Guinea	16	5	0	11	31.25%	261	375	–114
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	94	48	2	44	51.06%	2,102	2,126	–24

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
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

Margins and streaks

Biggest winning margins

Margin	Score	Opponent	Venue	Date
66	72–6	Wales	1300SMILES Stadium	5 Nov 2017
56	60–4	Italy	Kingston Park	22 Oct 2022
52	58–6	Cook Islands	Carlaw	26 Oct 1992
50	56–6	Cook Islands	HFC Bank Stadium	26 Oct 2024
46	58–12	United States	1300SMILES Stadium	28 Oct 2017
44	58–14	Lebanon	Leichhardt Oval	22 June 2019
36	42–6	France	WIN Stadium	1 Nov 2008

Biggest losing margins

Margin	Score	Opponent	Venue	Date
66	0–66	Australia	Alfred McAlpine Stadium	14 Oct 1995
64	0–64	Australia	Wembley Stadium	23 Nov 2013
52	0–52	Australia	Aussie Stadium	16 Nov 2008
50	0–50	England	AJ Bell	7 Oct 2022
48	6–54	Australia	Suncorp Stadium	23 Nov 2017

IRL Rankings

IRL Men's World Rankings v t e
Official rankings as of December 2025
Rank	Change	Team	Pts %
1		Australia	100
2		New Zealand	82
3		England	74
4		Samoa	56
5		Tonga	54
6		Papua New Guinea	47
7		Fiji	34
8		France	24
9		Cook Islands	24
10		Serbia	23
11		Netherlands	22
12		Ukraine	21
13		Wales	18
14		Ireland	17
15		Greece	15
16		Malta	15
17		Italy	11
18		Jamaica	9
19	1	Poland	7
20	1	Lebanon	7
21	1	Norway	7
22	3	United States	7
23		Germany	7
24		Czech Republic	6
25		Chile	6
26	1	Philippines	5
27	1	Scotland	5
28	2	South Africa	5
29	1	Canada	5
30	1	Brazil	3
31	1	Morocco	3
32	1	North Macedonia	3
33	1	Argentina	3
34	1	Montenegro	3
35	4	Ghana	2
36	5	Kenya	2
37	3	Nigeria	2
38	2	Albania	1
39	2	Turkey	1
40	2	Bulgaria	1
41	1	Cameroon	0
42	1	Japan	0
43	1	Spain	0
44	3	Colombia	0
45		Russia	0
46		El Salvador	0
47		Bosnia and Herzegovina	0
48		Hong Kong	0
49		Solomon Islands	0
50		Vanuatu	0
51		Hungary	0
52		Latvia	0
53		Denmark	0
54		Belgium	0
55		Estonia	0
56		Sweden	0
57		Niue	0
Complete rankings at www.internationalrugbyleague.com