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Fiji's invite is for November only but here is why they would be a long-term Six Nations asset

(Photo by David Ramos/World Rugby via Getty Images)

Six Nations organisers have confirmed to RugbyPass that Fiji won’t be joining the tournament on an annual basis after a misleading statement from the Fijian Rugby Union.

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Fiji have apparently secured an invite to participate in an eight-team tournament next November that will replace the original Test schedule featuring the likes of New Zealand, Australian and South Africa visiting Europe. 

However, while Six Nations have insisted the likely invitation to the Fijians is a one-off, their inclusion highlights how vital players from the Pacific Island nations are to the club game in the northern hemisphere.    

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Fiji’s situation with the Six Nations got lost in translation in midweek when John O’Connor, the FRU’s chief executive, appeared to suggest the country were about to leapfrog Georgia into the tournament. 

In a statement, he claimed: “We are on the verge of joining the Six Nations rugby competition and have Super Rugby, New Zealand and Australia knocking on our doors.”

However, rather than talking about something permanent, it has since been clarified that O’Connor was talking about the invite to the new end-of-year tournament that will be staged in European due to the cancellation of the tours by the All Blacks and co because of the pandemic.

A spokesperson for the Six Nations told RugbyPass on Friday: “Fiji will not be joining the Six Nations Championship but they may be one of the teams participating in an autumn competition.”

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Fiji and Georgia are said to poised to line up with the Six Nations in a one-off competition featuring two pools of four teams, with the top two meeting in a final at Twickenham on December 5.

While they are not wanted permanently, what the impending invite for Fiji highlights is how their squad is very much European-based and they would be a handy doorstep addition to the Six Nations if they were ever asked back.

In the build-up to last year’s World Cup in Japan, Fiji held a three-day camp in Toulouse for their European-based players with 33 attending under head coach John McKee who has since been replaced by Vern Cotter. That European-based pre-World Cup camp involved 19 players who were based in France and 14 from England and Scotland.

The current lockdown restrictions on travel have meant Cotter has yet to work with the Fiji squad since taking over the role – he is currently based in New Zealand having returned home from France. But it seems certain his first training sessions with the squad will now be in France to prepare for the autumn Test series. 

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Despite the Fijian islands being more than 10,000 miles from Twickenham, Fiji are well-positioned to help Europe out as 300 of their players are currently employed at various levels of the sport in France.

Last year’s World Cup squad in Japan featured twelve players operating with French Top 14 clubs, seven in the Gallagher Premiership, two in the Guinness PRO14 and four from the English Championship.

That 25-strong contingent was supplemented by players who remain at home in Fiji, but the pressure to take an overseas contract remains a major factor as it allows them to look after their extended family. A young Fijian player recently revealed he opted to leave home because the money he would earn in France would transform the lives of his 15-strong family group.

When the new season in France gets underway in September there will be more than 20 Fijians in the Top 14 league while nearly as many are in England and Scotland – Glasgow Warriors will feature world-class lock Leone Nakawara in their squad and Edinburgh will boast brilliant No8 Viliame Mata. 

Meanwhile, centre Semi Radradra has swapped France for England and is now at Bristol while Sam Matavesi is in the Northampton squad along with Api Ratuniyarawa. Leicester have just added Kini Murimurivalu to a back division that also includes man-mountain Nemani Nadolo, who retired from Test rugby after scoring 19 tries in 29 internationals for Fiji. 

Two of the most recent arrivals in France have been members of the Fiji sevens squad who have been released to take up their European contracts. Aminiasi Tuimaba has joined Pau, who have three other Fijians in their squad, Filimoni Botitu is the third Fijian now at Castres while Brive boast seven Fijians.

A look at the Fiji team that lost 29-17 to Wales in the final pool game at the 2019 World Cup illustrates the massive influence they have on the European club game:   

1. Campese Ma’afu (ex-Leicester)

2. Sam Matavesi (Northampton)

3. Manasa Saulo (ex-London Irish)

4. Tevita Cavubati (Harlequins)

5. Leone Nakarawa (Glasgow)

6. Dominiko Waqaniburotu (ex-Pau)

7. Semi Kunatani (Castres)

8. Viliame Mata (Edinburgh)

9. Frank Lomani (Melbourne Rebels)

10. Ben Volavola (Perpignan)

11. Semi Radradra (Bristol)

12. Levani Botia (La Rochelle)

13. Waisea Nayacalevu (Stade Francais)

14. Josua Tuisova (Lyon)

15. Kini Murimurivalu (Leicester)

Replacements:

16. Mesulame Dolokoto (Glasgow)

17. Eroni Mawi (Saracens)

18. Peni Ravai (Clermont)

19. Apisalome Ratuniyarawa (Northampton)

20. Peceli Yato (Clermont)

21. Nikola Matawalu (Glasgow)

22. Jale Vatubua (Pau)

23. Josh Matavesi (Bath)

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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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