Remembering Army Rugby’s Remarkable Class of 1969

An old photograph sent to Duavata News by an avid supporter has offered a fascinating glimpse back at one of Army rugby’s most successful sides.

The black-and-white photograph captures the Army ‘A’ Team of 1969, a side that enjoyed a remarkable season, winning the Teal Trophy and Sukuna Bowl while sharing the Ascot Shield.

More than five decades later, the photograph brings back memories of an era when some of Fiji’s finest rugby talent could be found playing in the country’s domestic and institutional competitions.

Among the men pictured are names that became part of Fiji’s rugby history, including Petero Rasiosateki and Jone Sokovata, who represented Fiji during the 1960s.

Also among the team was Wilisoni Duki Jiuta, father of current Fiji Competition and Consumer Commission CEO Senikavika Jiuta.

The photograph identifies J. Mucunabitu as captain, with Colonel F. Rennie, then Commander of the Fiji Military Forces, seated with the team.

For Army, 1969 was clearly a year to remember.

The Sukuna Bowl was already a fiercely contested fixture between Fiji’s disciplined forces, carrying the pride and rivalry that remain associated with the competition today.

But the Army ‘A’ side did not stop there.

Their Sukuna Bowl triumph was accompanied by victory in the Teal Trophy, while they also finished as co-winners of the Ascot Shield, completing an impressive collection of honours in a single year.

The photograph itself captures something increasingly rare: an entire chapter of Fiji rugby contained within a single frame.

These were the days long before professional rugby.

Players represented their teams while serving, working and building careers away from the rugby field. There were no professional contracts of the kind available today, no instant highlights on social media and comparatively few photographs documenting their achievements.

What remained were the trophies, the stories passed down through families and teammates, newspaper archives and photographs such as this one.

Military rugby would continue to produce outstanding players and contribute significantly to Fiji’s rugby tradition in the decades that followed.

The Sukuna Bowl, in particular, would grow into one of the most enduring sporting rivalries between Fiji’s disciplined forces, carrying forward a tradition already well established when this photograph was taken.

For the men of the 1969 Army ‘A’ Team, however, their record speaks for itself.

Teal Trophy winners.

Sukuna Bowl winners.

Ascot Shield co-winners.

Fifty-seven years later, the photograph remains a wonderful reminder of a formidable Army side and another generation of men who helped write Fiji’s rich rugby history.