The Flying Fijians will carry a special message on their jerseys for their island nation when they take the field against the All Blacks in Dunedin on Saturday night. Their homeland is suffering a major Covid-19 outbreak with 48 deaths and more than 800 new cases in the past 24 hours.
The front of the team's jerseys will feature the message ‘Vaccinate Fiji’ urging Fijians to vaccinate against Covid-19.
“We are playing this historic test against the All Blacks, the first in 10 years, as our nation battles a devastating second wave of Covid-19. Both Fiji Rugby and our biggest partners Fiji Airways recognise that our responsibility towards the wellbeing of the Fijian people extends beyond the pitch," Fiji Rugby CEO John O’Connor said in a statement.
"We are humbled and delighted that our National Airline has given up their prime ‘front of jersey’ space in this test series for the greater good, replacing their own brand with the message: ‘Vaccinate Fiji’.
"Our Flying Fijians will proudly carry on this message in the two games to encourage our people to get fully vaccinated to win the fight against Covid-19. Reaching vaccination targets will help our medical authorities save lives, restore lost freedoms and allow the country to return to a new kind of normal.”
Kick-off is at 7.05pm.
