Jarryd Hayne’s new footy team are caught on video in BIZARRE act involving female stars after the ex-NRL great joined the coaching staff

Jarryd Hayne’s Fijian men’s rugby league team have held a bizarre training session against the Tongan women’s side as they ready themselves for the Pacific Championships.

Fiji Bati appeared in a video clip on social media that showed them training at Albert Park in Suva, where they held an opposed session with the much smaller Tongan women.

Opposed sessions are game simulations that don’t feature full-on tackling – and the unorthodox head-to-head idea was reportedly proposed by Tongan coaching staff, with both sides later saying it was worthwhile.

‘It’s obviously a bit weird but it was really good,’ Bulldogs and Fiji star Viliame Kikau told News Corp.

‘The Tongan coach was telling us to go hard, tackle and get some time on the ground.

‘They [the Tongan women] were really good talkers and were loud the whole session. They helped us a little bit and hopefully we helped them in their preparation for this weekend.’

Tonga co-captain Natasha Penitani came away very impressed by the experience.

‘It was really amazing for the men to let us have an opposed session against them,’ she said.

The Fijian men (pictured) said the extremely unusual opposed session was worthwhile and praised the Tongan stars for helping them get ready for the Pacific Championships 

‘We kind of got thrown into the deep [end] and it was a huge adjustment.

‘It doesn’t help when they’re twice our size … there’s no mercy, no surrender here. You could tell they started off a little bit cautious, and then Kelvin [Wright, Tonga coach] was kind of telling them to rip in, so they really did.’ 

Hayne, 36, has been invited into the camp to act as a mentor for the side just four months after he was released from jail when his rape conviction was quashed.

The former Parramatta Eels star played 120 matches for Fiji from 2008 to 2018 and also played five games for the nation’s rugby union Sevens team, and described his new position as ‘awesome’ on Monday.

‘On the way to the airport yesterday, watching that documentary from the ’08 [Rugby League World Cup] squad following us in the village, it’s been a long journey … 16 to 17 years,’ he said.

‘From army barracks, to now we’re in five-star hotels. We’ve come a long way. It’s always good to reminisce.’

Fiji coach Wise Kativerata contacted Hayne after he was released from jail and the appointment developed from there.

‘I rang him just to talk to him and see how he was going,’ Kativerata told the Sydney Morning Herald.

‘I wanted to make sure he was OK. He was happy to hear from us.

Fiji’s will first take on Papua New Guinea at 7.10pm on Saturday night in the tournament

‘After a while I told him about rugby league in Fiji and how it really needed a lift.

‘Then I asked him to come along and help with the team because I knew it would be good for him and good for us.

‘At first he thought I was joking.’

The NRL has approved Hayne’s job with the team.

Fiji’s first match is against Papua New Guinea at 7.10pm on Saturday night.