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Ten months after overseeing Fiji’s biggest World Cup win by thrashing the Wallabies in Saint-Etienne, Simon Raiwalui is set to become the Waratahs’ performance director.
In a full-circle moment for Raiwalui, who moved to Tempe, Sydney, with his mother at a young age before embarking on a remarkable rugby career with Manly in the Shute Shield, the former Fiji international will become the Waratahs’ head of performance. roar I understand.
An announcement is expected later this week when Raiwalui beats Rebels sporting director and former Wallabies frontrunner Nick Stiles.
As revealed by roar On Sunday, Raiwalui impressed Rugby Australia’s high-performance director Peter Horne, Waratahs CEO Paul Doorn and high-performance expert Mark McGovern in interviews last week.
Simon Raiwalu oversaw Fiji’s biggest World Cup upset by demolishing the Wallabies in 2023. (Photo: Alex Livesey – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
He is the latest World Rugby employer to find a home in Australia since December, following Horne and Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt.
His appointment cannot come a second sooner, with the Waratahs sitting bottom of the Super Rugby table this year and struggling to persuade players to stay and others to join them.
Indeed, the Waratahs have already lost forwards Ned Hanigan and Lachie Swinton to the Wallabies, while Jed Holloway’s exit is expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks.
With the British and Irish Lions touring the country for the first time since 2013, the Waratahs are short on experience and firepower ahead of a pivotal year for Australian rugby.
The unfolding crisis at the Waratahs is summed up by the fact that captain Jake Gordon is looking for an early exit before being blocked by Rugby Australia with Schmidt’s intention to call up the halfback with the Wallabies.
The Waratahs have a lot of catching up to do after finishing last in 2024. (Photo by Luis Veniegra/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The 30-year-old is currently staying put, but his desire to go abroad sums up the miserable feeling in Daceyville in recent months.
Raiwalui’s arrival will help ease anxiety throughout the ANZAC Parade at Waratahs HQ and Rugby Australia’s Moore Park offices. The national governing body is desperate to see the Super Rugby franchise return to its 2014 top level.
Cash-strapped and tied up in broadcast negotiations, the Waratahs’ slide into obscurity has been marked by just two wins this season in Darren Coleman’s third and final year, but RA’s bid to turn things around given they are in the biggest rugby league of all time It didn’t help hope. domestic market.
But Raiwalui’s appointment will likely earn him some respect and credibility.
The Fijian international captained Saracens and made a successful transition into coaching, taking charge at Stade Français before Michael Cheika called him up to coach the forwards ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
Simon Raiwalui was previously Michael Cheika’s assistant at the Wallabies. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Raiwalui took over as general manager of Fiji Rugby after a brief 18-month spell with the Wallabies and was appointed national team coach following the sudden resignation of Vern Cotter early last year.
He then led Fiji to a shock upset of England at Twickenham on the eve of the World Cup, before his men kicked off the boiling point of the French tournament by knocking out the Wallabies in Saint Etienne, putting Eddie Jones’ campaign in crisis.
Raiwalui, 49, surprised many by stepping down from the national team after the World Cup and joining World Rugby as a high-performance and player progression manager after missing the quarter-finals.
Just a few months after joining, he was asked to help rebuild the Waratahs.
In an interview with roar During last year’s World Cup, Raiwalui said he was indebted to the game.
“I think it’s pretty flat.” He said.
“It’s important to me that we respect who we are and who we play for. If you don’t treat people well, it usually comes back to you, and if you don’t treat your players and staff well, the other team may turn on you.
“I have always lived by the philosophy that you should treat people the way you would want to be treated.
“I like games. It has given me everything in my life. I came from a very humble life and rugby gave me the opportunity to travel the world, play, earn a living and take my family to beautiful places, so I want to honor that.
“There are definitely times when I get angry, but I like to control my emotions as much as possible.”
In addition to learning the trades involved in list management, Raiwalui will soon have to turn his attention to finding his director.
While Dan McKellar has emerged as an obvious target following his departure from British heavyweights Leicester last weekend, Scott Wisemantel is another strong candidate with two decades of international experience.
Former Wallabies assistant and Brumbies coach Dan McKellar (R) is looking for a new role after leaving Leicester. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
Other candidates include Stephen Hoyles, who is likely to advance to the U.S., and John Manenti, coach of the men’s seven-man national team.
It is also very important to flesh out the list of 2025 Waratahs. Some Rebels players are not yet convinced that Sydney is the best place for them.
In particular, managing to lure Wallabies Taniela Tupou, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Rob Leota to Daceyville will be vital.
Failure to sign two of the aforementioned Wallabies forwards will be seen as a blow to their hopes of re-emerging as a Super Rugby threat.
