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Former All Blacks midfielder Seta Tamanivalu one of 10 new caps in Fiji squad

(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Former All Blacks midfielder Seta Tamanivalu has been included as one of 10 new caps in the Fiji squad for the upcoming Pacific Nations Cup.

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Tamanivalu qualifies for Fiji under World Rugby’s new eligibility laws, whereby test-capped players can represent a second nation that they are eligible for via birthright following a three-year stand down period.

Born-and-raised in Fiji, Tamanivalu played three tests for the All Blacks in 2016 before featuring in two non-tests in 2017, but hasn’t played any international rugby since then.

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That makes the 30-year-old Toshiba Brave Lupus star available for Fijian selection, and he has been duly included in Vern Cotter’s 34-man squad to face Samoa, Tonga and Australia A next month.

Tamanivalu is joined by nine other players in line to make their test debuts for Fiji, all of whom played for the Fijian Drua in their maiden Super Rugby Pacific campaign.

Those players are locks Isoa Nasilasila and Ratu Leone Rotuisolia, loose forwards Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta and Rusiate Nasove, halfback Peni Matawalu, midfielders Kalaveti Ravouvou and Apisalome Vota, and outside backs Vinaya Habosi and Ilaisa Droasese.

Habosi, Vota and Ravouvou were particular standouts for the Drua in their inaugural Super Rugby Pacific season, as was Cirikidaveta after having joined the squad from New Zealand provincial side Tasman.

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Those nine players make up more than half of the Drua contingent in the Fiji squad, with a further seven players from Mick Byrne’s squad making the national side.

Those additional players are props Haereiti Hetet and Manasa Saulo, hookers Tevita Ikanivere and Mesu Dolokoto, halfbacks Frank Lomani and Simione Kuruvoli, and first-five Teti Tela.

Fiji will be captained by La Rochelle star Levani Botia, who has been listed as a loose forward despite having played his entire test career as a midfielder.

Botia is joined by other headline names such as Lyon wing Josua Tuisova, Stade Francais midfielder Waisea Nayacalevu, Racing 92 first-five Ben Volavola, Castres midfielder Vilimoni Botitu and Western Force wing Manasa Mataele.

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Among the notable absentees include Leicester Tigers wing Nemani Nadolo and Toulon lock Leone Nakarawa, while uncapped Moana Pasifika wing Timoci Tavatavanawai could be deemed as a major omission.

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Tavatavanawai finished a stunning Super Rugby Pacific campaign with 73 defenders beaten, the most of any player in the competition and 17 more than the second-placed Habosi.

Star utility back Semi Radradra is also absent as one of eight frontline players – including Peceli Yato, Viliame Mata, Meli Derenalagi, Kitione Salawa, Vilive Miramira, Samu Tawake and Peni Ravai – who have been listed as unavailable due to injury.

Cotter said he was excited for the return of the Pacific Nations Cup, which has been revived for the first time since 2019, as Fiji continues its preparation for next year’s World Cup in France.

“The PNC series is extremely important for us. We’re playing at home for the first time in a long time, and we want to do well,” Cotter said via a statement.

“Tonga has already named a very strong squad with returning internationals, and we know that Samoa will do so as well.

“Australia A will send a good team of players who will have just missed out on selection for the Wallabies from Australian Super Rugby clubs who performed really well against the New Zealand sides this year.

“There’s good depth in Australian rugby as well and everyone is fighting to impress selectors.

“We also have our eyes on the bigger picture, and the PNC is an excellent opportunity for our players to put their hands up for selection for November’s Northern Tour where we play Scotland, Ireland and the French Barbarians.

“This is exactly the type of challenge we need in preparation for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.”

Fiji will open their Pacific Nations Cup campaign against Tonga in Suva on July 2 before they host Australia A and Samoa in Lautoka on July 9 and July 16, respectively.

Fiji squad for 2022 Pacific Nations Cup

Props: Mesake Doge (Dragons), Haereiti Hetet (Fijian Drua), Eroni Mawi (Saracens), Manasa Saulo (Fijian Drua), Luke Tagi (Provence)

Hookers: Mesulame Dolokoto (Fijian Drua), Tevita Kinavere (Fijian Drua), Sam Matavesi (Northampton Saints)

Locks: Temo Mayanavanua (Lyon), Isoa Nasilasila (Fijian Drua)*, Apisalome Ratuniyarawa (Northampton Saints), Tevita Ratuva (Brive), Ratu Leone Rotusolia (Fijian Drua)*

Loose Forwards: Levani Botia (La Rochelle, captain), Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta (Fijian Drua)*, Mesulame Kunavula (Edinburgh), Rusiate Nasove (Fijian Drua)*, Albert Tuisue (London Irish)

Halfbacks: Simione Kuruvoli (Fijian Drua), Frank Lomani (Fijian Drua), Peni Matawalu (Fijian Drua)*

First-Fives: Teti Tela (Fijian Drua), Ben Volavola (Racing 92)

Midfielders: Vilimoni Botitu (Castres), Waisea Nayacalevu (Stade Francais), Kalaveti Ravouvou (Fijian Drua)*, Seta Tamanivalu (Toshiba Brave Lupus)*, Apisalome Vota (Fijian Drua)*

Outside Backs: Ilaisa Droasese (Fijian Drua)*, Vinaya Habosi (Fijian Drua)*, Manasa Mataele (Western Force), Setareki Tuicuvu (Brive), Josua Tuisova (Lyon), Jiuta Wainiqolo (Toulon)

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Salvin 898 days ago

Where is Eroni Sau

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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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