Rugby-Global ambitions fuel Fiji's 'rugby factory'

Players at the Ratu Filise Rugby Club hold a prayer circle before training at a playing field in Namatakula, Fiji, July 1, 2022. REUTERS/Ian Ransom

NAMATAKULA, Fiji (Reuters) - Ratu Filise Rugby Club's ragged pitch on Fiji's Coral Coast might seem an unlikely stepping stone to international stardom but a slew of the game's luminaries have left their mark on the patchy grass and run in tries under its slanted goalposts.

Ratu Filise's first team train on the ground as the sun sets on a sweaty afternoon, young men dreaming of following players like Tevita Kuridrani and Nemani Nadolo, who left the quiet village life to perform on the world's biggest stages.