By Chad Neal
Andrew “Tui” Osborne has been a well-known, new character in Ellicottville, as he moved here to be closer to his job coaching rugby at St. Bonaventure, where consequently he led them to championships. Tui is also known in Ellicottville for his musical prowess and being a social delight. He has played at a handful of establishments in Ellicottville with his guitar and sultry voice, but now he’ll have to find new joints in Miami to play in, as he has been hired as a new coach of the professional Rugby team the Miami Sharks. The Villager caught up with Tui to ask him about his next chapter.
Villager (V): So you are going to Miami to coach their professional rugby team the Sharks? How did this come to be?
Tui: Being a professional rugby coach for the last decade, it has been a goal of mine to progress to the highest level. When Miami announced they would be starting a team in 2024, I decided to put my name in the hat and apply.
V: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Tui: I was born and raised in the Fiji Islands and moved to the U.S. in 2000. I grew up playing rugby back home as it was our national sport. Like every young kid, playing at the highest level was the dream. I started my rugby career in Los Angeles, Ca. I moved around a few clubs and finally caught the attention of the USA National Team selectors in 2005, getting the call up to play for the USA National team. After a short professional career (2005-2007) I decided to go back to college and get a degree. I moved to Atlanta, GA to a rugby school, Life University and completed. I started coaching when I was down south, working with the under graduate team, that went on to win two national championships.
V: When did you start at St. Bonaventure?
Tui: I started in 2016.
V: Where did you coach or learn the ins and outs of Rugby? When?
Tui: At Life University under great mentors/ head coaches, shadowing coaches in the national team set-up and other professional coaching I’ve been involved with through the years. In the last decade, mostly gaining experience with my time at St. Bonaventure and doing guest coaching at professional events.
V: How did you find Ellicottville?
Tui: I was commuting from Buffalo when I started at Bonas, then that got old after 2 years so I decided to move closer.
V: You played music around the area; how long have you been doing that? Elsewhere as well?
Tui: I’ve been playing music since 2013 when I was in college and decided to continue up here once I settled in WNY.
V: What is your plan for your move to Miami?
Tui: The plan is to work to be the best at my job!
V: When does that season start?
Tui: Late February with pre-season and roll in March with the season.
The Villager asked about the league he is going to be coaching the Miami Sharks with and he said they have 13 teams in the league and we can watch it on The Rugby Network. MLR (Major League Rugby) has 12 American teams and one from Toronto. Rugby is gaining momentum as a watched sport here in the US and many watching it get confused to the rules, but after seeing a game or two one can get an idea, and maybe watch a game with Tui before he leaves. He is taking Bonnies Rugby to the semi-finals this weekend after beating Wheeling on Saturday November 18th. Let’s root for our local Champion rugby coach and cheer him on in his next endeavor.