Solomon Islands Rugby Union Officials, Lakoa Katalake and Nick Hatigeva have just returned from a FORU Educators course held in Nadi, Fiji, from September 2 to 5.

The pair attended the course in which Nick completed his Level 2 and 3 Educator's accreditation conducted by IRB/FORU, while Lakoa attended the Administration course that was jointly conducted by IRB/FORU and Oceania Sports Education Programme (OSEP) experts.

"It was a very valuable course for us in which a lot of knowledge and ideas were gained that would help in the continued administrative/technical functions and development of rugby in Solomon Islands".

The administration course was a reasonably long course, but squeezed and conducted over a very short period, hence Katalake and his other regional counter-parts will have to complete the full course from home before they are awarded their OSEP certificates.

But for his colleague, by completing Level 2 and 3 IRB Educator's Accreditation, Hatigeva is the only Solomon Islander who had obtained the highest IRB license to coach and train coaches/referees in the Oceania West region.

It was a continuation for Nick who first attended the Level 1 Educators Accreditation course in Auckland, New Zealand last year where he obtained his IRB Educators license.

From the Oceania West region he and his counter-part from New Caledonia made it through last year, as Rugby Development Officers from both PNG and Vanuatu did not pass the course in Auckland.

However, the New Caledonia Development Officer did not attend the recent course held in Nadi, leaving only our RDO to complete the IRB Level 1, 2 and 3 Educators Accreditation from the Oceania West region.

This also means that Hatigeva is now a recognized and qualified IRB Licensed Coach Educator who can coach rugby teams and train IRB Level 1 and 2 coaches/referees anywhere in the world.

Oceania west rugby region include Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Wallis and Futuna.