26-year-old Tuidraki Samusamuvodre, utility backline player for the Fijian Drua, is grateful for the opportunity the team provided when they signed him for their inaugural Super Rugby season in 2021.

Now entering his fourth season with the Drua, he is thankful for the contract that set him on a professional rugby path.

Samusamuvodre admitted that without the Drua, he might have ended up as a farmer, a path his father encouraged if things didn’t work out academically.

“My father always told me that if I didn’t do good in school there is always a piece of land for me to farm back in the village.”

Samusamuvodre has had a notable career, starting with the Fijian U20s in 2017/18, followed by stints with the Fijian Warriors and Fijian Latui in 2019.

He briefly played for the New England Freejacks in the US Major League Rugby in 2021 before committing to the Drua.

His leadership abilities were highlighted in 2019 when he captained the Fiji Warriors to victory in the World Rugby Pacific Challenge.