Fiji, with a population of just under 900,000, has always produced Rugby talent - whether for Union, Rugby Sevens or League - and some, over the years, have made their name in the British Super League competition. Here are five of the best.
Waisale Sovatabua
With a name nearly as impressive as his talent, Waisale Sovatabua - born in Fiji - made six appearances for the national side and scored three tries in the 1995 and 2000 World Cups. Sovatabua's Super League career began in 1998 with Sheffield Eagles. Operating anywhere along the back line, Sovatabua scored nine tries in 42 appearances and was chosen at full-back in what was considered the biggest Challenge Cup upset in history as the Eagles beat Wigan 17-8 in the 1998 Final.
After two seasons in South Yorkshire, he relocated to West Yorkshire to join the newly-merged Huddersfield-Sheffield Giants. In his only season with the club - before Sheffield was dropped from the name - he scored eight tries in 24 appearances. And, at the end of the 2000 season, Sovatabua was on the move again, this time to then-named Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. Here, the powerful Fijian scored 19 times in 47 appearances before leaving - aged 30 - at the end of 2003. Sovatabua, in his six seasons spent in the Super League, was a real livewire. An attacking menace with elusive footwork and an eye for a gap, Sovatabua definitely made an impression in his time in the British game.
Semi Tadulala
Born in the Fijian capital, Suva, Semi Tadulala represented the Bati in the 2000 and 2008 World Cups, appearing six times for his nation and scoring twice. Tadulala moved to England in 2004 to join the then-named Wakefield Trinity Wildcats after plying his trade for NRL side Melbourne Storm for three seasons. At Wakefield, the athletic winger scored 38 tries in 89 appearances and made a name for himself as one of the best finishers in the game as well as becoming a crowd favourite amongst Belle Vue home fans.
After three years at Trinity, Tadulala moved to Bradford Bulls ahead of the 2008 season. In 2008 and 2009, 6 ft 2 winger scored 37 tries in 52 games, before he switched codes to join Gloucester Rugby Union. By 2011 however, Tadulala had returned to Wakefield - though for only a half a season, scoring one try in seven appearances.
A storming winger with a brilliant leap and a turn of pace that left many a defender behind, Tadulala became a firm Super League favourite for his West Yorkshire clubs. At the end of 2011, he left Wakefield to join lower-league side Keighley Cougars.
Daryl Millard
Though born in Kogarah, New South Wales, Australia, Daryl Millard represented Fiji in the 2008 and 2013 World Cups, playing nine times and scoring once. Millard moved to England - Wakefield - in 2010 after three seasons with Canterbury Bulldogs in the NRL to replace the Warrington-bound Ryan Atkins. In two seasons with Trinity, Millard scored 11 tries in 23 appearances. By 2012 however, Millard had moved countries once more - this time to France to join Catalans Dragons.
Here, the 6 ft centre impressed greatly, scoring 41 tries in 99 appearances over the course of three seasons. In his first season in France, he was a key factor in the French side's fourth-placed finish in 2012.
Millard left the Dragons at the end of the 2014 season to join NRL side South Sydney Rabbitohs. A strong and robust centre with a tremendous offload as well as quick feet and a superb sidestep, Wakefield fans probably did not see the best of Millard, but the Catalans faithful certainly did. Millard is also responsible for scoring a try after the hooter in one of the craziest endings to a game in Super League history when the Dragons beat St Helens 34-32 in February 2012.
Ashton Sims
Like Millard, Ashton Sims was born in New South Wales, Australia, but has represented the Bati at international level throughout his career on account of his mother being born there.
For Fiji, he has made 12 appearances and has turned out for the Bati in the 2008, 2013 and 2017 World Cups. After playing over 200 NRL games since debuting back in 2003, Sims moved to Warrington Wolves ahead of the 2015 season. Known for his leadership skills and his communication on the field, Sims played a major role in Warrington's 2016 season where they finished top and also appeared at the Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final, though they lost both.
Sims, after scoring seven tries in 90 appearances for the Wolves, was announced as a new signing for the ambitious Toronto Wolfpack for 2018. Never one to take a backwards step, with an offload that could trouble any opposition side and a real enforcer in defence, Sims - in his three years at the Cheshire club - earned a reputation for being a fearsome character and a real leader on the field.
Nick Bradley-Qalilawa
Born in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia, Nick Bradley-Qalilawa represented Fiji four times in the 2008 World Cup, though he failed to score. Some may be wondering why Bradley-Qalilawa is included in this list given that he played in the Super League for only two seasons. However, having made the move to London Broncos from Manly ahead of the 2005 season, the winger/centre impressed greatly for the capital club and was a major factor in the Broncos' charge up the table from 10th in 2004 to 6th in 2005.
In the two years that Bradley-Qalilawa enjoyed in the capital, he registered 28 tries in 58 matches as the London Broncos and then, from 2006, Harlequins RL, became a steady mid-table side. Known for his quick feet and athletic ability, Bradley-Qalilawa was very much a star for the London club in the two years that he spent there and rightly deserves a spot on this list.
