Fiji's Achilles heel: Why the Ben Volavola omission is 'a big mistake'

An emphatic clean sweep of the Pacific Nations Cup was a promising sign that Fiji could be in for a huge World Cup campaign but before they get there, a warm-up clash with France awaits.

Fiji named a 33-man Rugby World Cup squad packed with the kind of power and pace that guarantees highlight plays in every game but one position in particular was a contentious selection.

At first five, every nation has taken a different approach to selection. Some, like Australia, have named just one No 10 while others, like England, have named three. Fiji had three playmakers in their World Cup training squad; Caleb Muntz, Teti Tela and Ben Volavola, but only two made the final cut.

Volavola is by far the most experienced of the three, making his international debut at the 2015 Rugby World Cup and racking up 42 caps in total. Tela and Muntz have just seven caps between them but were ultimately selected over the veteran.

“We were selecting on the balance of how we want to play,” Fiji coach Simon Raiwalui said.

Fiji’s final Pacific Nations Cup match against Japan was the last chance for the players to put their hand up for selection before the World Cup squad announcement and while the resounding win saw many great performances throughout the Fijian unit, for former All Black James Parsons, Volavola was a standout.

“They are a physical presence across the park,” Parsons told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, having commentated the Fiji v Japan match. “They are fit and the most impressive thing was the discipline to get out of their own territory.

“When there was a red card to (Lappies) Labuschagne, they probably overplayed their hand after that but when it was 15 on 15, their contestable game, their kick space game, they were really impressive.

“I went through their (World Cup) squad the other day and I might have misread it but I didn’t see Ben Volavola.

“He was just massive in the way they got out of their half.

“I think that’ll be a big mistake if he isn’t there. I just think his experience, his time in France, I don’t know, there’s just a lot (of reasons) you’d want him in and around that squad for.”

Volavola led the match with 10 kicks in play, guiding his team out of their own half and putting them in more favourable attacking positions.

From there, the Fijian’s flair was on full display but also, their improved dominance at set piece. The Fijian forwards have been huge in their start to the 2023 international season, with the rolling maul presenting a new weapon for the team.

The weekend’s clash with France though poses a new level of challenge and will provide a better insight into how the team are tracking against not just tier-one talent, but one of the World Cup favourites.

“I’ve got a lot of faith in their set piece,” Parsons added. “Like how hard their back row scrum and even how they slide up and join the front row at times which I know isn’t legal but they get away with it. They’re there to do the job and then (Tevita) Ikanivere is a very good thrower and those boys are extremely powerful; good lifts, good jumps, tall men, the set piece is an area they’ve proven to be very, very strong at thus far.

“They are well placed, purely because I think Darryl Gibson and Glen Jackson have been really, really clinical and I think the consistent voice of Glen Jackson coming from the Drua, I know that not all those players are there, but they’ve really grown in that exit. Because that’s the only thing that will be their Achilles heel, if they overplay.

“You don’t want to take away their natural instinct, which I don’t think they will, but coming out of their half, if they can do that, they’re a real chance.”