Fijian Drua part ways with eight players and three staff as Jackson era ends

The Fijian Drua have confirmed eight player departures and three staff exits at the close of their 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign, bringing an end to Glen Jackson’s tenure as head coach alongside assistant coaches Tim Sampson and Qio Vucago.

Among the departing players, Droasese, Nasilasila, and Tamani have been with the club since its debut Super Rugby season in 2022, making them among the longest-serving members of the squad. The youngest to leave is Inia Tabuavou, 23, while the remainder of the cohort are in their late twenties.

Jackson, whose departure as head coach had been announced on 13 April, used the club’s awards night to frame the exodus as a positive development rather than a setback. “As you can see, we’re losing a lot. That’s not an important thing around the Drua, because we always need the turnover of players,” he said. “As we know, this country lives and breathes rugby, and if we don’t have a turnover in this club, then we’re stopping young men from putting on the blue jersey.”

The outgoing coach also left the club with an ambitious parting message. “We need to keep this brand strong. This is the best brand in Super Rugby, and I totally believe that this club can win many, many trophies,” Jackson said, adding that the next step for the franchise must be converting good memories into winning ones.

Off the field, Drua CEO Jeff Miller highlighted research by ANZ estimating that the club contributed approximately $108 million to Fiji’s GDP in 2025, an increase of more than $40 million compared to 2023.

Loose forward Kitione Salawa was the standout performer at the awards night, claiming both the Fiji Men’s Player of the Year and the Players’ Player of the Year honours. Sairusi Ravudi took the Rookie of the Year award, while Tabuavou received the Community Champion Award and Manasa Mataele was named Fan Player of the Year.