Pacific Championship: Former NRL star joins Fiji camp

Former Parramatta Eels fullback Jarryd Hayne has marked his return to rugby league following his release from prison.

Hayne is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of Fijian descent.

The two-time Dally M Medal winner spent close to two years in jail before being released in June after winning an appeal against a rape conviction.

Hayne travelled to Fiji last week to join the Bati's Pacific Championships campaign - not as a player but as a mentor.

Local media reported Hayne was spotted at the team's training sessions in the capital Suva.

Fiji coach Wise Kativerata, who played for the Bati alongside Hayne’s father Manoa Thompson, told journalists he contacted Hayne after his release from jail "to check on his welfare".

Many Fijian players “look up” to Hayne for his talents on the field, Kativerata said.

“I rang him just to talk to him and to see how he was going. I wanted to make sure he was okay.

"He was happy to hear from us. After a while, I told him about rugby league in Fiji and how it really needed a lift.

"Then I asked him to come along and help with the team because I knew that it would be good for him and good for us.

“At first he thought I was joking. But look at what he’s achieved in rugby league. And he’s a Fijian guy, so we want him to be part of it. He’s enjoying it.”

Fiji Bati training. Photo/FNRL

This is Hayne’s first involvement in the sport - that he made his name in - since he was arrested and jailed for sexual assault in 2023.

The 36-year-old has not been involved in rugby league since his arrest in 2018.

Hayne played 214 games in the NRL and represented the Bati in 10 Tests.

He briefly moved to the United States to play the running back position for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2015 NFL season.

In 2016, he represented Fiji in rugby union sevens.

Hayne was part of the Bati's 2008 World Cup squad and was one of the stars in Fiji's historic win over the New Zealand Kiwis in the 2017 World Cup.

“On the way to the airport, [we were] watching that documentary from the ‘08 [World Cup] following us in the village,” Hayne told reporters in Suva.

“It’s been a long journey … 16 to 17 years. From army barracks, to now we’re in five-star hotels.

“We’ve come a long way. It’s always good to reminisce.”

Hayne will work closely with NRL stars Michael Jennings, Sunia Turuva, Viliame Kikau, and Maika Sivo among others in the Bati camp, Kativerata said.

The team held a bizarre training session against the Tongan women's side in Suva last week ahead of the Pacific Championships opener against the Papua New Guinea Kumuls.

The Fiji Bati appeared in a video clip on social media that showed them training at Albert Park where they held an 'opposed session' with the much smaller Tongan women.

Fiji Bati winger Semi Valemei is tackled by Tongan women's playmaker Cassey Tohi-Hiku during an opposed session in Suva. Photo/FijiVillage

Opposed sessions don't feature full-on tackling. The unorthodox head-to-head training was reportedly proposed by the Tongan coaching staff. Both teams later said it was worthwhile.

'It's obviously a bit weird but it was really good,' Bulldogs and Fiji star Viliame Kikau told News Corp.

"The Tongan coach was telling us to go hard, tackle, and get some time on the ground.

"They [the Tongan women] were really good talkers and were loud the whole session. They helped us a little bit and hopefully we helped them in their preparation."

Tonga co-captain Natasha Penitani said she was very impressed by the experience.

However, both teams - playing in the Bowl division - lost their opening matches last weekend.

Tongan women's rugby league co-captain Natasha Penitani supports the training session with the Fiji Bati. Photo/NRL

The Bati could not overcome the PNG Kumuls' attack, losing 22-10 in Suva last week. The Tongan women lost to Sāmoa 30-16.

The Fijians face the Cook Islands Aitu in Suva on Saturday night.

Fiji, Cook Islands, and PNG are in the Men's Bowl competition while Mate Maa Tonga, New Zealand Kiwis, and Australian Kangaroos are featured in the Cup division.

The Kiwis and Kangaroos face off in Christchurch on Sunday.

In other round one results, Australia beat Tonga XIII 18-0 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.