NIKO WAQALAIVI

Few people can say that they’ve been able to incorporate their true passion into a life-long endeavor of introducing a sport, culture and simply an opportunity to literally thousands of athletes around the globe. Niko Waqalaivi is a living example of just that.

Ironically enough, while growing up in Fiji, rugby was not his first sport.  He was more active and competitive in the realms of Judo and Jujitsu. It was, however, this unique background coupled with his knowledge of rugby that allowed him to become a winger at UNL during 1997 who ran and tackled in a matter that could only be described as “elegant violence.” 

Although he played for Lincoln City and the GOATS after UNL, his passion was in coaching which he began in California many years prior under the tutelage of his mentor and former Fijian national coach and captain, Samisoni Viriviri.

Niko used his mixed martial arts background that specialized in coaching in the contact area which was a tactic not being widely taught during that time. Viriviri also taught Niko how to build a winning program by establishing a culture of hard work, respect and love for one another.  

His coaching background is extensive and includes various high school programs such as Martin Luther King and Grant High Schools in Sacramento as well as the Lincoln Combined High School program.  He has coached with the Sacramento Men’s Rugby Club, the North California All-Stars, the Glendale, CO Men’s 7’s as well as the Kenyan Exiles National Development 7’s team which was based on the East Coast.  In both of latter, he coached alongside former Wallabies assistant coach Theo Bennet who also has distant UNL ties.

In one of the more high-profile coaching jobs, The Gentlemen of Aspen hired Niko and would fly him out on a weekly basis in hopes of reviving their once great program.  He coached in the mountains with Aspen Rugby Legends Andy Karoa, Freddy Waitit, and physio Purvi Desai.  Collectively, they helped the club eventually go on to win the national championship in both 7’s and 15’s.  Because of their success in Aspen, the program became one of the main developmental programs for USA rugby as cross over athletes were beginning to get introduced to the sport in hopes of bolstering the USA teams.

In Aspen, they coached many ex-NFL and collegiate football players as well as ex-track athletes during this time including former USA 7’s Eagle and the self-glossed “Fastest Man in Rugby,” Carlin Isles. Aspen was in serious talks with former Husker and Green Bay Packers great Ahman Green to play rugby post-NFL, but Green chose retirement instead.

Closer to home, he has been the face of rugby for Lincoln City, the GOATS, UNL Women, and UNL Men’s where he has revived a program and put in on a national level by finishing in the top five in 7’s two different times in recent years.

A great memory of his revolves around taking his Aspen squad, along with a few UNL grads, to play an exhibition game of 7’s during halftime of the Notre Dame Blue and Gold Football Game. They were the first non-football organization to step foot on the hallowed ground of Notre Dame Field.  This Aspen team also hosted a rugby clinic inside the Colorado youth penitentiary in Aurora which led them to starting their own rugby club.

He is most proud of coaching two current US Navy Seals who were members of the first UNL 7’s Team that went to Nationals, seeing former Nebraska players coaching upper-level rugby programs both in the USA and overseas, helping the Husker Women’s Rugby Program reach the Top 6 in the Country in 15’s, organizing and running rugby clinics, as well as recently competing with the UNL squads at Nationals.

And as a non sequitur to this write up, Niko shared the following experience from the Sept. 29, 2023 game played against the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

Niko and his family fed, housed and drank Kava in his house with 30 members of the OU squad during last year’s game in Lincoln.  One of the members of that OU squad is a Native American whose father is considered a “high chief,” much like Niko’s late father was in Fiji.  He heard of this kind gesture and knew he and his tribe should return the favor to Niko and the UNL squad.

To reciprocate the hospitality, after the recent game, the Oklahoma team presented Niko with a traditional Native American blanket that was weaved by tribal elders and conveys that, “We are family.”  This blanket now proudly serves as the trophy for this rivalry game between the two storied programs.

In Niko’s words, “Rugby is more than a game!”

And throughout his multiple successes, he has remained humble as when asked about this bio, “I’m not an ‘I’ person or coach.  I’ve been fortunate to be around great players and great coaches; and TOGETHER, have done great things!”

The entire Nebraska rugby community is better because of the dedication Niko has shown to the sport; and our unique niche community of knuckleheads owe him a great deal of gratitude.

Vinaka! (Thank you!)

Niko and his wife Sinu live in Lincoln and have five children.