Guardsman gets first international call-up for Fiji's Oceania Championship opener

Army Rugby Union player Guardsman Manuqalo Komaitai is set to make a potential debut for Fiji after being selected for the Fijiana squad in their Oceania Championship opener against Tonga. 

Gdsm Komaitai, who hails from Bau Island in Fiji, will add depth and versatility from the bench as the number 20 when Fiji face Tonga.

Gdsm Komaitai's selection comes after she delivered a stand-out performance for the British Army at the Inter Service Championships.

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Her performance against the Royal Air Force at Kingsholm Stadium, where she scored an astonishing four tries, earned her the Player of the Match accolade and solidified her status as a key player in the squad. 

Ahead of her selection, Gdsm Komaitai was also selected for national trials with Fiji ahead of the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup, which is set to be held in England later this year. 

A soldier in the Irish Guards, Gdsm Komaitai is the first Fijian woman to serve in the elite regiment tasked with guarding Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, and took up rugby with the Army after completing her training in 2021 as a way of keeping fit. 

Fiji will face Tonga at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka, Fiji, on 6 June.