Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Season | |
 Original 1938 Deans Trophy, now on display at the Fiji Museum | |
| Sport | Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| First season | 1939 |
| President | Mr Jone Kanalagi |
| Organising body | Fiji Secondary Schools Rugby Union - FSSRU |
| Divisions | North, South, West, East |
| Most recent champion(s) | Queen Victoria School (2024) |
| Most titles | Queen Victoria School |
| Sponsor(s) | Vodafone |
| Related competitions | Weetbix Raluve Competition |
The Deans Trophy is the most prestigious and oldest sports award among Fiji Secondary Schools sporting competitions. The boys rugby union annual competition was first introduced in 1939 and is the oldest tournament in the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU).
The original Deans Trophy is named after Mr S. S. Dean, the Manager of the Māori All Blacks team that toured Fiji in 1938 who donated the silver-coloured metal rugby ball as the prestigious prize for senior teams in the boys secondary schools rugby competition. It is now kept at the Fiji Museum in Suva.[1][2]
The trophy was first won by Queen Victoria School (QVS) at the first Deans Trophy competition in 1939. QVS has gone on to win the prestigious U19 or U18 title a record 24 times.
The Deans Trophy features 6 age grades:
- Under 14
- Under 15
- Under 16
- Under 17
- Under 18
- Under 19
For sponsorship reasons it is currently known as Vodafone Deans Trophy.
In 2022, the Fiji Rugby Union introduced the Raluve Secondary Schools Competition designed for secondary school girls in Fiji.[3] The term “Raluve” symbolizes the grassroots of women's rugby and represents continuous development and growth of women rugby players. The competition sponsored by Weetbix features girls from secondary schools in the Under-16 (U16) and Under-18 (U18) age categories.
- ^ "History of schools rugby competition". The Fiji Times. 2017-08-12. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
- ^ "Back from Fiji". Nelson Evening Mail. 1938-09-07. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
- ^ Naivalurua, Navitalai (2022-07-21). "First ever Raluve Secondary Schools competition launched by FRU". FijiVillage. Retrieved 2024-04-14.