Indra Singh: FBC Sports Journalist on Fijian Drua Super Rugby travel issues

The Fijian Drua have reported several travel issues before their Super Rugby game in Napier last month. 

A photo showing the rugby team crammed into the back of a truck has circulated online, leading to officials blaming a breakdown in communication as the culprit. 

FBC Sports Journalist Indra Singh talks to Ryan Bridge about the incident. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Confusion is growing around a photo on social media of
the Fijian Drew Super rugby team. It shows the team
piled into the back of a luggage track after their
arrival in Auckland last month. Now official was a blaming
a breakdown and communication that led to their bus not arriving.
This is before they played a game Injuriest thing is
the FBC sports journalist with us this afternoon. Good evening,

(00:24):
Good evening, Groan Andrew, thanks for being with me. What
is the team saying about this?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, look on the eve of a massive clash against
the Chiefs in Lowchalka. It's been more or less always
shedded by what has transpired over the last couple of days. Ryan,
initially coach Glenn Jackson. Jacko had said that they had
faced some issues as they arrived into Auckland to play
to go on to Napier to play the Canes. That's

(00:52):
all he said that he's a weekly press conference. But
as of yesterday we've seen that media outlet in Australia
has published a photo shows that the Fiji and Drewer
were actually in the back of a truck heading from
Auckland to a hotel. They were stayed in for the
night before flying out to Napier the next morning. Mind you,
the Drewer franchise is saying they are satisfied what is

(01:14):
transplied in terms of the action taken by Super Rugby
specific But the question that still lingers on is what
actually happened.

Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yeah, we still don't really no other than the bus
wasn't there and they jumped into the back of a truck.
And then the next day it gets even worse when
they're in actually make it to Napier. The hotel, the Hurricane,
they're all at the same hotel. The Hurricanes get to
check out late and then go to the game and
they have to check out on time. What's up with that?

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah, Speaking to a couple of closed soursers within within
the Drewer franchise, the only disappointment at the moment they
have with the Canes is that they did not get tickets,
which would have put their families and friends in a
better place in Napier. They had to resort to sitting

(02:04):
out on the embankment. That's what we've been told the hotel. Yes,
they were told to check out early, and they claimed
that the Canes checked out you know later on, and
they were allowed to do that. Was it mind games? Well,
it was it favoritism. Nothing forthcoming as yet. But I
think the biggest, biggest question that arises here is what

(02:26):
the Drew camp is saying is when the teams visit Fiji,
and even this was with the chiefs arrival, they get
police eyes Scots, and they got the best busses and
they get transported to hotels and things like that. But
in this instance, landing in Auckland and getting in the
back of a truck reminds you. We did ask the
question why did they get onto the truck because if

(02:47):
they wanted, they could have refused, but we've been told
that they had to get on and geta is to rest.
If not, they would have missed the flight next morning
to Napier and perhaps forfeited the game against the Canes,
which would have been even a bigger disaster.

Speaker 3 (03:00):
I mean, obviously not a legal thing to do either.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
Thanks for running us through that interesting interesting FBC sports journalist.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
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