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Fiji name exciting squad for first World Rugby U20 Championship in five years

Fiji sing the National anthem during the 2018 Oceania Rugby U20 Championship match between New Zealand and Fiji at Bond University. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

It’s been a long road back for Fiji, since being relegated in 2014, but the islanders have finally returned to the top tier of international age-grade rugby, after having won the World Rugby U20 Trophy in 2018.

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They saw off the challenges of Portugal, Uruguay, Canada and Samoa in that competition to book their passage back up to the World Rugby U20 Championship, taking the place of relegated Japan. The recent weeks saw a morale-boosting win over Japan for Fiji in the Oceania Rugby U20 Championship, where they were also competitive with eventual tournament-winners Australia.

Having run the rule over their squad in that competition, Fiji have now confirmed a 30-man squad to take on France, Argentina and Wales in the pool stage of next month’s World Rugby U20 Championship, with two further players set to be cut before they depart for the tournament.

Among the standouts in the group are hooker Tevita Ikanivere, prop Livai Natave, full-back Osea Waqaninavatu, fly-half Caleb Muntz and centre Ilaisa Droasese.

The squad has been bolstered by some off-island talent, too, with scrum-half Josh Vuta a product of Australian schoolboy rugby and currently playing at the university level in Waikato, whilst loosehead Emosi Tuqiri’s feats for Marist College Ashgrove in Australia went viral a couple of years ago.

The group will be led by by former Fiji second row Kele Leawere, with Viliame Gadolo taking on the mantle of forwards coach and Brad Harris shouldering the responsibilities of attack coach. The group will also work with scrum coach Alan Muir prior to their departure for Argentina.

They have also taken part in a full-on scrimmage with the Fijian Latui side, the team that will be taking part in the upcoming Global Rapid Rugby Pacific Showcase series, as part of their preparations for the tournament.

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With just five second-year players in the group, Fiji will be intent on maintaining their place in the tournament this season, with a more experienced group next season potentially capable of delivering a shock or two. That is something which will be made more likely by Fiji’s eagerness to capture players at senior level where, after losing a number of players from their group last season, Fiji have already moved to capture eight of their current U20s, thanks to appearances for the Fiji Warriors in the Pacific Challenge competition.

If they can take the scalp of Wales or Argentina in their pool, there is a good chance they could avoid the relegation bracket altogether, but should they find themselves in the bottom four come the playoffs, they have a pool of players capable of challenging the likes of Scotland, Georgia and Italy.

Full squad: Emosi Gabriel Tuqiri, Livai Rasala Natave, Meli Samuels Sikoijeriko Tuni, Tevita Veicavuyaki Ikanivere, Lino Mairara Vasuinadi, Manoa Mocelutu, Joseva Varuru Nasaroa, Elijah Seniloli Kuilamu, Poate Rainima, Isoa William Nasilasila, Taniela Ramasibana, Christopher Noki Mesake Minimbi, Vilive Miramira, Alivereti Loaloa, Etonia Bose Waqa, Yabaki Seeto, Aminasi Tiritabuanira Shaw, Simione Turaga Kuruvoli, Josh Akariva Isaiah Vuta, Mesake Tudrau Tove Kurisaru, Caleb Rava Muntz, Taniela Yabakidrau Soqonawasaloa, Ilaisa Droasese, Isaac Manoa Ratumaitavuki, Veresa Tuqovu Ramototabua, Epeli Momo, Anare Bicilo Wqasaqa, Kaminieli Rasaku, Ratu Osea Waqaninavatu, Osea Natoga.

Watch: Fiji 7s created history in Hong Kong

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J
JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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