The future is bright for Fijian rugby despite the agony of their World Cup quarterfinal exit at the hands of England, according to coach Simon Raiwalui. The Flying Fijians were one of the highlights of the tournament so far with their exciting brand of attacking rugby full of offloads, powerful running, and moments of ingenuity. It was on display once again in Marseille on Sunday.
While playing with a numerical disadvantage following the sinbinning of winger Vinaya Habosi, fly-half Vilimoni Botitu scooped up a bobbling ball, flicked it through his own legs to No 8 Viliame Mata to side-step England centre Manu Tuilagi and plunge over for a try.
That was followed by a quick-fire brace in the second half that included a delicate offload from rampaging winger Semi Radradra and perfectly timed and angled bursts over the gainline from forwards Peni Ravai and Isoa Nasilasila.
Ultimately, the steady boot of England fly-half Owen Farrell crushed Fijian hearts, but Raiwalui feels the country’s rugby is in a great place for the future.
“One of the things that’s changed in our pathways is the strength in depth, we have 33 players able to play at the highest level and it shows,” said Raiwalui.
“It’s going to bear real fruit for Fiji rugby in 2027, 2031 (the next two World Cups) and moving on from there because we’ve got a very young generation with the players coming through behind.”
Since the last World Cup in 2019 in Japan when Fiji won only one match and lost three in the pool stages, a Fiji-based franchise, the Fijian Drua, has been included in the southern hemisphere Super Rugby Pacific competition. In only their second season in 2023, the Drua won six out of their 15 matches, and reached the knock-out stages.
With the high-performance academy on the island as well, Fiji have a number of opportunities for talented young players to develop their game and build up to full international level, such as the under-20s team and the Fiji Warriors, the equivalent of a B team. But it is the advent of the Drua that has really pushed up standards.
Source: eNCA
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