A Fijian leader said he was "disappointed" New Zealand Rugby did nothing to acknowledge the Covid-19 crisis currently unfolding in Fiji during last weekend's first Test.
Krish Naidu, president of the Fiji Girmit Foundation of New Zealand, told 1 NEWS today he watched Saturday's Test in Dunedin and was left disheartened.
"We were very disappointed last weekend," Naidu told 1 NEWS.
"We gathered around a bowl of kava, 100 people and we couldn't see any signs of leadership from the New Zealand Rugby Union in terms of paying tribute to the people back home.
"There was no moment of silence and we thought that should have been done at the minimum."
Fiji is currently battling a devastating outbreak with 873 new cases confirmed yesterday. Those cases take the small Pacific nation's total active cases to 9310 while 56 people have died in this outbreak.
Naidu said NZR should be addressing the crisis this weekend when the two sides meet again.
"Fiji rugby and Fiji players have made a huge contribution towards the All Blacks, towards Super Rugby, towards provincial rugby in New Zealand.
"The least we could do is come together to show some unity and help the people back home... why can't we wear a black armband to show our Pacific neighbours that we care?
"It's a humanitarian crisis."
The Flying Fijians were set to wear special jerseys that featured a vaccination message on the front in place of the main sponsor's spot - the Government-owned Fiji Airways - but the idea was scrapped due to "differing opinions on the issue" within the squad, 1 NEWS revealed on Sunday.
A team media manager told 1 NEWS players didn't learn about the jerseys until it was reported in the media, with little consultation about it taking place prior.
Naidu said he was disappointed with the Fijian team as well for their actions.
"This is not about individual thought, this is about collective action," Naidu said.
"We lost an opportunity to put out an important message back home for the wellbeing of the people back home."
The All Blacks play Fiji in the second Test this Saturday in Hamilton.
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