THE NAME RUPENI Caucaunibuca, once an exclamation that accompanied some of the most jaw-dropping skills to grace rugby in the early years of this century, more latterly became synonymous with delayed returns, no-shows and a cancelled contract.
“It’s 15km from my village to the main road,” says the Fijian force of nature in a mini-documentary that takes you into his life and some understanding of why professionalism was never his best trait.
The featurette is the first of a series, Oceans Apart, produced by Pacific Rugby Players’ Welfare and narrated by CEO Dan Leo and sets out to raise funds, but also awareness for the pitfalls Pacific island players can face when put on a fast-track in professional rugby.
“The thing is, no one really knows about him, we all know of him and what he’s done on the field,” Leo told Independent.co.uk of ‘Caucau,’ the prodigiously talented star who wound up bankrupt back in rural Vanua Levu.
Get the headphones on and have a look.
Gavan Casey is joined by Murray Kinsella and Sean Farrell for a review of the 2018/19 season, and cast an eye forward to next year and the Rugby World Cup in Japan.:
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