Minister for Youth and Sports, Jese Saukuru says there are pathways available for secondary school rugby players aiming to enter the professional ranks through the Fijian Drua setup.

Speaking in response to a question on pathways available for students who wish to pursue rugby as a career, Saukuru revealed that the Drua Under-16 Academy, established by the Fiji Rugby High-Performance Unit in August, serves as the main entry point.

The academy selects 30 players from the Deans Competition across Fiji through talent identification and provides a $2,000 annual support allowance for each player.

After a two-year development process, the best players at age 18 can progress to the Drua Development Programme, which offers starting salaries between $10,000 and $15,000 per year.

From there, players can advance to professional contracts with the Drua franchise, starting with a base salary of $40,000 per year.

Saukuru emphasizes the importance of this structured pathway in nurturing future rugby talent for Fiji.