Project Pōpolo promotes and develops Black and Polynesian rugby referees in the U.S., and the organization is currently in Tahiti in pursuit of that mission. COO Marquise Goodwin and Publicity Chair Justin Hale are both refereeing at the Papeete 7s this Friday-Saturday, Oct. 11-12, and Culture Chair Alexis DeFries is on the ground to participate, learn and connect with the French Polynesian rugby community.
RELATED: About Project Pōpolo
DeFries started playing rugby in 2016 and was part of the Camp Pendleton Warriors team that won the 2023 DII SoCal 15s championship. That summer, DeFries helped coach the Warriors + Rhinos team that finished runner-up at club 7s nationals. They were highlights, for sure, but at the time DeFries was still in the process of reclaiming her pre-injury self, rehabbing a broken leg sustained the year prior.
“I think a lot of players transition [to refereeing] because of an injury, so it’s not an uncommon story,” DeFries said of the pivot. “I was out of my cast and going to physical therapy and exercising, just trying to get that post-injury weight off. But I was around, going to games in the area.
“At one game in Orange County, Marquise was the referee tournament manager, and he saw me sitting around,” DeFries continued. “It took someone as insightful as him to see someone he knew, but maybe never interacted with, and recognize that they’re going through a rough time and offer them an opportunity not just to feel better about themselves, but to better themselves. … If you think you’re never going to be healthy enough to play at the level you want anymore – social, but maybe not high performance – then what can you do in the high performance area?”
Goodwin proposed refereeing, and DeFries saw a pathway that could provide new and different high-level opportunities. Project Pōpolo then offered a mission with which DeFries, who is originally from Hawaii, could identify further.
Photo c/o @popolorugby
The pōpolo is a nightshade plant that produces black berries. It’s not native to Hawaii, but it has thrived on the island as a valuable source of nutrition, medicine, dye, among other uses. During World War II, as the U.S. increased its presence in the Pacific theater, “pōpolo” evolved into the native population’s term for African American soldiers in Hawaii.
RELATED: Interesting article on the evolution of “pōpolo”
“We are a melting pot of cultures,” DeFries said of home. “When I left Hawaii, I found that you can build that culture anywhere you go. So [in rugby], we noticed that we were building our own spaces as Black and Brown referees, and thought: Why are we doing this alone when it’s our project?”
DeFries joined Project Pōpolo as the Culture Chair and meanwhile is refereeing games in the SoCal area. This trip to Tahiti marks a third international refereeing outing for DeFries. In January 2024, Project Pōpolo took a group of referees to the Coral Coast 7s in Fiji. In late June, the North American Lions picked up DeFries for the trip to Germany, as the Heidelberg 7s offered teams a discount if they brought a referee for the tournament.
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DeFries had hoped to build that pipeline to Tahiti by entering a SoCal women’s team into the Papeete 7s, but it was tough to get numbers with the overlap of the Rugby Tens Series and Championship, which this year occur in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, and the proliferation of rugby league. Eagle Rock Rugby, however, is representing the U.S. on the pitch and will be competing in Pool A with the French 7 Fantastics, host Papeete and fellow local sides AS Paea Manu Ura and Faa’a Aro. (The women’s division involves 7 Fantastics, Australia’s Nomads and Tahiti Selects.)
Goodwin invited DeFries to Tahiti to represent Project Pōpolo, and the goal now is to support the ref team, knowing that there’s always a need for extra hands on game day. It’s a good opportunity to build relationships with the host and participating teams, which hail from the Cook Islands, New Caledonia, Australia, U.S. and France. The host island is providing seven sides as well.
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“I don’t care if I have a whistle, a ball, a clipboard,” DeFries said of digging in. “I want to help out in any way. It’ll be a good trip. I’m here to influence and network, and hopefully people will see us come out here and we’ll make those connections. And maybe next year there is a women’s team out of SoCal, because of our effort we put in this year.”
For more information on Project Pōpolo, visit http://projectpopolo.com. For more info on the Papeete 7s, follow @papeetesevens on Instagram and Facebook. And stay tuned for on-going coverage of the international 7s tournament, which begins tomorrow.
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