Contrary to media reports in Australia and New Zealand, none of the eight soldiers recently charged in the killing of a civilian earlier this year is a part of any team run by the Fiji Rugby Union.

“There has been a little bit of imaginative reporting on this matter attempting to link the soldiers to the current Fiji Rugby Union,” FRU boss Timoci Tavanavanua said. “But there is little accuracy in these reports.”

“The only person mentioned that once had an association with the FRU is Jona Nareki, who last represented Fiji at the 2000 Dubai 7s,” the FRU chief executive officer confirmed. “So to call him a Fiji 7s player now is stretching things a bit.

“The Etonia Nadura that has been charged is the namesake of a player who featured for Fiji at the Hong Kong 7s in 1993. It’s not the same person.”

Napolioni Naulia, meanwhile, played for Fiji at the Pacific Games, which did not come under the FRU’s jurisdiction. He is not in any current squad and has not played in any IRB 7s tournament or been part of any FRU-run team.