The Western Force have secured the signature of dynamic Fijian Olympic sevens player Adi Vani Buleki for the 2025 Super Rugby Women’s season.
The powerful and pacy 24-year-old utility back represented Fiji at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she scored two tries.
She was also part of Fiji’s silver medal-winning 2022 Commonwealth Games team and competed at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.
Buleki has spent the past few years within the Fiji sevens set-up, coming straight out of school in Lautoka and has now decided to explore the 15-a-side game with the Force.
Force head coach Dylan Parsons said: “She’s played the majority of her rugby in the sevens circuit for Fiji. We see her being pretty dynamic and bringing a lot of X-factor.
“We’ll look at her when she comes into the environment and make some decisions around what her best position will be around.
“She’s got skillsets that can play multiple positions. We’re really excited to see her coming into the environment.”
Buleki will offer pace and power to the Force’s backline options, bringing with her a range of trademark sevens skills.
“She’s a power runner and she’s quick,” Parsons said. “She’s really powerful. She’s tall, so she’s great in the air.
“She’s been on the sevens circuit for a number of years but she’s still only young and has untapped potential in 15s.
“Like most sevens players, she’s super athletic and we want to see those types of athletes in the 15s.”
Buleki will arrive in Perth this month and Parsons was confident she’d bring plenty to the set-up.
“She’s been a professional for a number of years which brings a lot of value to our program as we move to be more professional,” he said.
“It’s about introducing her to the 15s game and bringing out some of those strengths from her sevens.”
Adi Vani Buleki
DOB: 23/10/2000
Position: Utility back
Height: 176cm
Fiji sevens - 2022 Commonwealth Games (silver medal), 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens, 2024 Paris Olympics
2025 Western Force women’s squad
Adi Vani Buleki, Georgia Cormick, Rosie Ebbage, Grace Freeman, Haylee Hifo, Sheree Hume, Tamika Jones, Nicole Ledington, Michaela Leonard, Loretta Mailangi, Hera-Barb Malcolm Heke, Ashley Marsters, Ngamihi Monk, Sera Naiqama, Alapeta Ngauamo, Hannah Palelei, Trilleen Pomare, Allana Sikimeti, Cecilia Smith, Anneka Stephens, Pia Tapsell, Libya Teepa, Brooklyn Teki-Joyce, Braxton Walker, Samantha Wood
