Waratahs general manager and former Fiji coach Simon Raiwalui says he is back on track after spending two months in hospital and suffering a life-threatening stroke at work just days before his 50th birthday.
Raiwalui, who struck the hammer blow against the Wallabies in last year’s Fiji World Cup in Saint-Etienne, had only been a few weeks into his new role as Waratahs sporting director when he suffered a stroke at the Super Rugby team headquarters in Darceville in late August. It didn’t work.
Raiwalui held a meeting with Rugby Australia’s high-performance director Peter Horne and recently left Waratahs chief executive Paul Doorn after developing symptoms.
“I was at work and in a meeting with Paul Doorn and Peter Horne and I just started babbling,” Raiwalui says. roar In the gentle giant’s first interview since being released from the hospital.
“I could tell something was wrong. It didn’t feel bad, but I felt like there was something there. I pride myself on my speech and being able to explain myself, but I just couldn’t get it out.
“Pete said. ‘Are you okay? ‘I think you should go to the doctor.’
“I went to the team doctor and he said, ‘Let’s go to the hospital. “He said, ‘I think I’m having a stroke.’”
“I ended up being hospitalized for two months.”
Although Laiwalui never lost consciousness, the former Fijian striker was unable to speak and lost movement for several days.
Raiwalui never wanted undue attention to be drawn to him. At every turn, Raiwalui downplayed his health problems and requested that they be kept out of the headlines. This is especially true for my daughter, who is in the process of finishing school.
But Waratahs and Rugby Australia officials were worried about Raiwalui’s health.
Doorn and Horne regularly visited former internationals in hospital.
It wasn’t easy for a man who played for Fiji and had successful spells with England Saracens and France before being told to stay put for a man who suffered few injuries during his long career at the top.
“I played until I was 37 and had to retire a year ago because of a knee injury, but I was lucky,” says Raiwalui. “I really didn’t miss any games.
“It was quite a shock to be in the hospital for that long. I wasn’t the best patient, my wife would tell you that, and so would the doctors.
“I was so stubborn that I left the hospital early and went to work early. They didn’t want me to go back to work, but I just couldn’t bear it.
(Photo: Alex Livesey – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
“But I was great and the Waratahs were great. They didn’t rush me. After a while, they asked me to come back to Rugby Australia and play a bit. Peter Horne was great.
“Rugby Australia and the Waratahs have been great and allowed me to come back at my own pace. I have great people at Rugby Australia now who really care about me.”
Raiwalui hopes to open the business early next year, but recognizes that his health is his priority for now.
“There are things that are still performing, for example physically the left side is still playing and they said it is normal, but mentally it is back,” Raiwalui said.
“What I lost was several days of speech. For me it was more physical. I have always maintained a mental side. The biggest thing for me is fatigue.
“I will definitely go back. (New Waratahs coach) Dan (McKellar) was really good, very understanding and Andrew Cleverley did his job.
“I have a meeting next week. I’ll talk to HR and Peter about what my role will be. And he hopes to return to his Waratahs role in January.
“I have a big role in the Waratahs looking after the academy and the men and women. This year is a big transition. “Of course I was really excited to join and I’m still looking forward to the role.”
While Raiwalui no doubt wanted to enjoy his 50th birthday celebrations, the former Flying Fijian recalls being lucky that he suffered his stroke in Sydney and not on a remote island. The country where he has spent the last four years is his traditional home.
“I could have been in Fiji when this happened and it would have been a nightmare,” he joked.
Raiwalui sees the stroke as an opportunity to reevaluate his priorities.
After a whirlwind four years in which Raiwalui regularly slept just two to three hours a night, the former Test lock now admits that his lifestyle and massive workload may have affected his health and contributed to his stroke. I admit it’s a possibility.
“It was a wake-up call,” said Raiwalui, who took over from Bern Cotter as head coach of Fiji Rugby on the eve of the World Cup and led Fiji Rugby to the quarter-finals in France.
Simon Raiwalui and Eddie Jones gave Fiji victory ahead of last year’s World Cup clash. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
“They went through my life and I was definitely burning the candle at both ends with Fiji. All the stress of coming back and working..
“I thought I was Superman. But I can’t eat well until 3 or 4 o’clock and stay up all night.
“It was a reminder that I needed to rest and eat right. I basically didn’t eat all day and ate a huge meal at 3 in the morning. And your life is not limited to work.
“The stroke told me to take a break, calm down and get my life in order.
“So I am now a proponent of the idea that you don’t have to work hard to the core. Working hard and being a good employee is great, but that’s not everything.”
Part of Raiwalui’s decision to go public with his health issues is to send the message that enjoying a sustainable work-life balance is essential.
“I feel blessed to have received the support,” he said.
“I’m a pretty private person and I don’t like to share. That’s part of the biggest problem for me. I just put it all on the back burner and ignore it. But the support was great.
“It’s actually nice to come back to Twitter and say hello and get back to normal.
“I love rugby and I was really happy to play Australian rugby this year. It’s great to see the work Joe and his team have done to bring back the good feeling about rugby in Australia. This is really important to me.
“I was part of Fiji’s problem (they beat the Wallabies last year). But it’s great to see Australian rugby really turning a corner. And there has been some really positive vibes over the past year.
“It’s going to be a very good Super Rugby season next year, the best season we’ve had in a long time and we’ve got the Lions tour, so it’s going to be a massive 2025.”
So what will happen in the next few weeks?
“We will enjoy Christmas. I will stay away from bad food and alcohol,” he said.
