Jo Vosakiwaiwai: 'It was special representing my family and my culture'

Jo Vosakiwaiwai is already making a name for herself. Even if the Harlequins and England age grade back is still a teenager.

At the end of January, the 18-year-old became the first ever British Fijian woman to represent Great Britain Sevens on the HSBC SVNS Series when she took to the turf in Singapore.

Currently in the middle of a gap year, Vosakiwaiwai is focussing fully on being a senior development player with Premiership Women’s Rugby outfit Harlequins, living out a childhood dream and loving every second of it.

Born in Germany while her father, Josh, was stationed there with the British Army, the electric teenager spent part of her upbringing in Fiji before the family settled in the United Kingdom 12 years ago.

Her father and mother, Ruci, Vosakiwaiwai always ensured she was exposed to her Fijian heritage. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a major part of that is rugby. Her dad even won a cap for Fiji in his youth.

So it is little wonder becoming the first British Fijian woman to represent Great Britain meant so much. Not only was the capped England U18 international competing at the top table, but she also embodied every aspect of her identity on the pitch.

Every trip that Vosakiwaiwai makes back to the villages of Fiji she finds herself playing games in the mud and the sands with the local children. Because even at 18, she wants to inspire the next generation in both England and Fiji.

“Not only was it a bit of history, but it was special representing my family and my culture in the UK,” Vosakiwaiwai told RugbyPass. “It was pretty breathtaking, because I didn’t actually know myself that I could get this far.

“I’m a person that used to watch games in the stands and on TV, always watching Fiji and Great Britain going to these amazing places. To think I was actually on the stage, playing against Jorja Miller, that’s crazy.

“I sort of had a reality check where, you know you can get this far if you believe in yourself and I know there’s so many girls within my culture that want to take on rugby.

“I think I’ve inspired quite a lot of our girls back home. Especially in the UK, because I know there’s a lot more girls within the pathway now and rugby is only getting bigger.

“I’ve sort of made a platform for myself, to not only encourage myself to keep going, but inspire many more young girls – especially in my culture – that rugby is a sport that you can enjoy as well.”

There was even a grin on the face of Vosakiwaiwai when she recounts taking on Fiji in Singapore and Perth. It was a sensation she described as “weird” even several weeks on.

When it came to performance on the pitch, Great Britain struggled to land any significant punches and finished eighth for consecutive weekends. Just as they had at the two HSBC SVNS Series stops at the end of 2025.

The experience is something that Vosakiwaiwai is hoping to use as a catalyst for the rest of this season. Along with a little bit of wisdom from home.

 

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“My dad watches all the sevens, watching Fiji, and it was very surreal that his daughter was even just in Singapore and Australia, these crazy locations,” she said.

“I’m still taking it in right now. I’m still 18 and that’s a debut you don’t get every day. It’s one I will never take for granted. I know that my journey is only getting bigger and there’s so much more I can take on.

“One phrase I always mention from my dad is to always stay humble. Because you’d rather be humble than humbled on a pitch. That’s something I always keep with me.”

Just so much as it fulfilled a lifelong dream, wearing a Great Britain shirt was also confirmation for Vosakiwaiwai that she had made the right choice.

Last year the 18-year-old took the decision to defer university by a year. Hot off the heels of an England U18 campaign in the Six Nations U18 Women’s Festival she joined Harlequins as a senior development player and was the latest to graduate from the City of Oxford ACE Programme.

While she hopes to study sports psychology at some stage, rugby has been the day-to-day subject that the Andover-raised back has been enthralled with. Lecture theatres have been traded for the training fields of Surrey Sports Park and the chance to grow her game with a raft of players and Women’s Rugby World Cup winners that the teen grew up watching cut their teeth at the highest level.

“I’m surrounded by so many experienced players, I’m very open to asking questions,” Vosakiwaiwai said. “I can learn off them and if I make a mistake, they’re very honest with me with what I can do better.

“A lot of us felt very welcomed. I feel as though I am in good hands with this team. One of the main players, she was actually one of my inspirations when I got into rugby, is Lagi Tuima. She was one of my big inspirations because she’s Polynesian and she showed that you can do greater things with your career.

“Ellie Kildunne, definitely. One of the star players and I’m always asking her (questions) on the pitch and off the pitch. She’s Ellie Kildunne at the end of the day. She’s full of surprises as well.”

For her regular source of game time Vosakiwaiwai has been dual-registered with the Guildford Gazelles in Championship South West 2. There the teen has been able to show the pace and power that has stamped her name on the lips of Great Britain Sevens staff, but England age grade selectors too.

At the end of February the wing was invited to her first England U21 Women camp by head coach LJ Lewis. Invited to the development camp, which took place at Shaftesbury Park in Bristol, Vosakiwaiwai was joined by her club teammates Grace Keel, Maddy Page, Zara Green, Ruby Winstanley, Ella Cromack and Solana Shaw de Leon.

This Spring, England U21 have a whole host of clashes to look forward to. This includes a clash with Spain’s senior team in Alicante, a training match with Canada U21 and then a three-match Six Nations Women’s U21 Series campaign.

Vosakiwaiwai’s eyes lit up when talking about what else could be in store for her in 2026.

There is absolutely no doubt that the 18-year-old has all the talent in the world. You can see that in how she carries the ball or how her footwork can tie the legs of opposition defenders into knots.

Bringing that skill to England U21 is at the top of the Vosakiwaiwai’s wish list. She does not deny it and knows that she has at least three years of eligibility in the programme.

“I’m only growing,” she said. “I’m only learning as I’m going. Being in U21s and hopefully continuing that as well, because I’m only 18 and taking on the next three years.

“I want to get better as a player and as a person off and on the pitch. I think this is a goal that I still want to keep pushing for. Regardless of setbacks. Because setbacks will happen.”

Even amongst Vosakiwaiwai’s realism and the humility installed in her character by her father, there is a moment to dream. Because that is exactly what life is right now. A dream.

It was not that long ago that being involved in an England U21 camp felt a long way away. Sharing a training field with Ellie Kildunne seemed fanciful. Playing on the HSBC SVNS Series was merely a yearning.

It is the latter of those which has allowed Vosakiwaiwai’s imagination to run wild. Because those minutes on the pitch have allowed the hot prospect to set her sights on an Olympic Games. For no other reason than it offering another opportunity to carry on being an inspiration in the UK and on the Pacific Islands.

“In 2026 my New Year’s resolution was to get an England W (win), GB W, Prem W this year,” she said. “It’s getting there. I’m sticking to the process because the process is really important. You just keep learning.

“Possibly my biggest aspiration is to go to the Olympics. I think dreaming big is the only way to push yourself. It (the Olympics) would probably be the biggest, unreal-est achievement I could make.

“It would show sort of how everything has paid off and the experiences and the environment I’ve put myself into with all the players and coaching. I think the process is very important to how I get there.

“Where I come from is even more important. Going to a big stage and being a player out there, I think it is important to know yourself and remember your support system. That’s why my dad always reality checks me. Because the bigger the dream, the achievement being made, a reality check is always important.

“That’s why the history I have already made is unreal and it is its own platform.”