The Barbarians recently played Fiji in wet and soaking weather in Ireland where they thrashed Fiji 40-7. A week earlier the Barbarians came really close to beating South Africa but drew 31-all in the end.
Fiji have been spiralling downwards since the 2015 Rugby World Cup where they came really close to beating England, Wales and Australia but failed to do so because of poor substitute timing and lack of enthusiasm.
Fiji tries to bring their sevens flair into the 15s game but they refuse to realise that is a different type of football.
Fiji had the worst start to the game as a try was scored by the Barbarians hooker Akker van der Merwe in the first minute.
Fiji did not recover after that try and was totally decimated as tries kept rolling in. Fiji’s weakest link was the playmaker, Ben Volavola who has been under performing since the start of the year – even though most fans would say he has been poor since last year and under performed during the Rugby World Cup as well.
Fiji has not had a great flyhalf since Seremaia Bai retired earlier this year and Fiji has tried to blood new playmakers. This includes Serupepepli Vularika who can cover both scrumhalf and flyhalf and Fiji sevens exponent Alivereti Veitokani who has performed well as a playmaker at local level with local champions Nadroga as well as the Fiji ‘A’ side, the Fiji Warriors in the 2016 World Rugby Americas Pacific Challenge.
Fiji’s scrum dominated against Australia, Wales and England during the 2015 Rugby World Cup but fell to pieces against the Barbarians as Fiji were playing a new hooker, Jale Sassen, who was poor at hooking the ball into the scrum as well as at lineout throws.
The Fiji backs barely got any ball as the ball rarely came to them. The forwards decided to run the ball every time Fiji had possession. Most players only joined the side early last week. The weather was bearing down on them which led to many mistakes.
Fiji did improve early in the second half and actually kept the Barbarians scoreless for nearly 34 minutes but as we have seen from Fiji sides over the years, they are still not able to play the 80-minute game as lots of mistakes started to creep in and the Barbarians were able to score two tries in the final six minutes to Richie Mo’unga and Luke Morahan.
Fiji’s only try came through Fijian winger Waisea Nayacalevu in the 54th minute after a break by captain. Akapusi Qera saw him getting tackled five metres from the tryline and Nayacalevu picked up the ball five metres away and strolled over to score. Nadolo was able to convert.
Fiji needs to make many changes if they are to beat England who they play next week at Twickenham. England will not be pushovers. Fiji needs to make big changes including a few positional switches.
They need to bring in Serupepeli Vularika to ten as Volavola is just not good enough anymore. They also need to shift Nadolo to the midfield because a player with his capabilities is wasted on the wing as we saw in the last ten minutes when he moved infield and ran strongly with the ball.
They may need to bring Niko Matawalu back to nine because they need a nine who can get the ball out and make good decisions and Kenatale and Vularika did not provide that.
The return of Leone Nakarawa could boost our lock and number 8 option as well. Fiji can be world beaters, all they need is the right coach to take therm there.
John McKee has proven to be a poor coach in comparison as he does not seem to know how to select a team as certain star players like Josh Matavesi who can cover ten and 12 were left out as well as the experienced, Sisa Koyamaibole who play for Brive was overlooked again.
Fiji do have issues at hooker as the veteran 36-year-old Sunia Koto cannot play forever and the younger 22-year-old Jale Sassen, his successor, is just not good enough at this level for now.
I’m a big Fiji rugby fan but I cannot in anyway see Fiji beating England next week, if anything, I feel there might be another thrashing on the cards.
Let’s hope changes are made and subs are sent in much earlier because John McKee has a bad habit of sending in the subs at the wrong time. Fiji still has a long way to go and their world rankings may fall over the next four weeks if the do not improve.
Fiji plays Australia in June next year and it will be their first Test in 2017 before the Pacific Nations Cup and if their rankings fall badly this month, they may never recover.
Atlas
Roar Rookie
How about a little 'heart' for the Heartland XV? They're drawn from the bottom 12 teams in NZ, mostly amateurs, who play one 10 week season a year, are not permitted to have represented NZ at 7s or XV, this is the highest level they'll play at. Looking at the scores, and results, seems they were well matched with the teams they played, a loss and a draw, both close results. The Heartland XV travels overseas every two years, 2014 they went to the Cook Islands, 2012 Samoa...2010 v Parramatta Invitation XV in Sydney
Kevin Higginson
Guest
Having a semi professional team in NRC will be a start in keeping some back home. World Rugby need to sort out the international season and insist on release clauses in players contracts. My idea would be to use the RWC dates yearly, (Sept- end Oct), with a 7 weeks season.
Johnno
Guest
Exactly, why don't the IRB/WR just admit, the pacific islands sides are just cannon fodder and they don't want them to win a world cup, and just want them to make up the numbers, as they don't bring in the revenue. They dish out some money for development, but that's really for the rich Euro clubs and Euro national teams etc. So much for equality it's all a myth, same applies to the world cup, giving teams like England a better easier draw at 2015 as WR wanted to make more profit that way. The refereeing was also so biased in that England vs Fiji world cup match last year, WR only care about making money, the pacific islands are just cannon fodder for them to be pillaged. If WR fair dinky cared they'd have a perfectly equal world cup draw and put making a big profit 2nd, but hay we don't live in an ideal world right and making a profit is more important than "high levels of fairness" right? FIFA at least have a fair soccer world cup draw.
Johnno
Guest
Which teams are playing in the "2017 Pacific Nations Cup?
Vhavnal
Roar Rookie
Nadi is no longer a good side,they should have played Suva instead..Nadroga is our moist talented local team so i was sure they would lose to them..
BrainsTrust
Guest
Modern Western Samoa team started off with a team based in NZ, so they didn;t have to tour NZ, it would be more expensive for them to go to Samoa. At the same time they would have had a local based team playing games with the other Pacific islands. The problems is now with a squad based across the world just assembling them is an expensive exercise. Georgia has financial backing internally there is no way they could operate using IRB money only. IRB the tier 1 nations receve about 5 times funding from the IRB to the the Tier 2 nations. Here is this statement about the All Blacks match in Apia The union's chief executive, Faleomavaega Vincent Fepuleai, confirmed expenses for the Apia test, including training camps, player allowances, travel and accommodation, amounted to 3.4 million Tala ($NZ2.2m, $US1.3m). The only way that could have been that expensive is if they were taken to the cleaners by the All Blacks and had to provide them expensive flights and expensive accomodation. Fiji in the meantime got paid 75,000 pounds for their recent match they are staying in the IBIS hotel for 50 pounds a night. The normal protocol is that international teams pay their own expenses apart from the British Lions who get paid a whoppingly massive fee for their tours since they have no home matches. England say they did Fiji a favour by paying them a paltry fee, but they won't play in FIji in return.Their British Lions even make the All Blacks look like budget tourists with expensive hotels and an army of staff. The argument is that they are worth paying for because they bring in all this revenue. Well what about Fiji and all the revenue now they will bring in. The All Blacks the beneficiary of matches from Fiji have not returned the favour.. The question is though why did they have to pay for All Blacks expenses to go to Western Samoa. FIji are willing to pay and fund a team to play in Super Rugby, the travel costs would already be expensive for the Australian competition.
Atlas
Roar Rookie
The New Zealand Heartland XV completed their two match tour of Fiji last week, playing two club sides Nadi and Nadroga The Heartland squad is drawn from the Heartland competition in the NZ provinces. They had their annual match v NZ Marist, winning 35-14, then played Nadi, winning 26-19, and then v Fiji’s champion domestic side Nadroga, who won 26-22 More at http://allblacks.com/News/HeartlandXV
Vhavnal
Roar Rookie
Samoa pulled out of PIRA (the Pacific Islanders rugby team which played every 2 years) because they wanted their own tests even though they didn't seem to win many, Fiji and Tonga wanted it to continue...so now Fiji comes up with the idea for a super rugby team, it does not need the backing nor the support of the samoa rugby union.
richard
Guest
The question I would ask you is why is it NZ's problem? This is the job of World Rugby,not NZ. The first part of your argument is feasible,and as I said,if it is native Fijians,well and good.With such a team that should be its purpose - to create a pathway for homegrown talent. As for Georgia,to my knowledge,they are one of the unions that WR are pouring money into,as they are seen as a union with a future (I believe its their national sport).So WR backing would probably explain that. I can't tell you why Fiji don't tour ,but the opportunity is there.W.Samoa has toured,but the problem with them is that money just disappears.Mismanagement and corruption is the order of the day.So,until WR/NZRU or whoever can ensure the money goes where it should.it is a dodgy proposition. And that brings me back to the original point - a Fijian Super team - it can work,but I would suggest investors are very careful with their money,they have to control the purse strings.
Atlas
Roar Rookie
Mzilikazi - can you name "all" the NZ ones you refer to? Since Fijian born David Solomon (1935) there are eight more Fijian born All Blacks, five if whom made it to test level. Three this century. One in current squad, Seta Tamanivalu.
CUW
Guest
Nadolo interview: ‘Playing for Fiji is not about money’ "http://www.planetrugby.com/news/interview-with-nemani-nadolo-playing-for-fiji-is-not-about-money/"
BrainsTrust
Guest
The purpose of a Fiji based super rugby team would be for players from Fiji. The team would be feasible because they would pay smaller wages than other super rugby teams. and because of that they would have no capacity to attract players from other countries or any expensive coaches. Can you explain how come Georgia managed to play all three Pacific islands at home without bankrupting the lot of them or themselves. NZ is the financial bogeyman of the Pacific, the problem is those potraying them as the player thieving bogeyman instead when they are not. IF NZ gave Fiji the gate they would be touring there every year. How long since they have toured?
woodart
Guest
no way will american football take over. pacific islanders love running with the ball , something that only two or three players on a grid iron team do . all the rest of the players never get to touch the ball .
BrainsTrust
Guest
In terms of world seven rugby series which balances out results, NZ won something like 10 out of 12 prior to when Fiji started to get paid since then its been Fiji twice in a row. I found the debt did get paid off but not by the All BLacks by a Samoan International Finance Authority sponsorship they made a profit instead. The stadium was redeveloped recently by the CHinese for the South Pacific Games so I doubt the expenses included anything to do with stadium. The Samoan based in NZ rugby union team they got funded by some businessman so thats why they were able to play so many matches in an era when NZ rugby was even stingier and the IRB was not providing any funds. Since then its been a marginal existence, I don;t really see why they would be concerned about the quality of the team in the future when they have no way of generating any revenue and funding the team currently. Georgia at least they can fund their own way to the Pacific islands for a few matches unlike the All Blacks. I can;t see American football spreading in the Pacific islands, it takes a lot of organisation,school sports funding and equipment. American colleges could look to recruit from there like they do with American Samoa.
hog
Guest
Interesting article http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/86409011/sevens-maestro-ben-ryan-offered-coaching-role-with-fijis-15s-ahead-of-england-test Always a twist though. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/86549857/fiji-rugby-union-unaware-of-ryans-super-rugby-plan
The Neutral View From Sweden
Roar Guru
Very True Mz. This is why it is so important to remember. When wishing for inclusion of Pacific Islander teams into Super Rugby and TRC. The importance of having all the best players available (I am not talking about those already switched nationality). How to do that? Realistic?. Ben Ryan's ideas and plans for Fijian XV rugby (if true) are extremely exiting. If that plan came through without flaws. Hell ya. Fiji would challenge for the number one spot in the future. If the next generation Fijian top boys all choose Fiji... ponder on that.
MelR
Guest
Nabu Pacific Islands sides from my knowledge are a disaster.Samoa pulled out and went alone last time, thus the demise of the Pacific Islanders. Vv I believe the FRU are trying and there is new management in place who are doing things differently, so "pathetic" is probably too harsher word. Fiji is training up level 4 coaches and have put in plans for 7s developement, so change is coming.A Fiji super rugby side is the only solution, Samoa and Tonga certainly do'nt have the resources to support one imho. Yes, I agree the Fiji NRC side is an exciting developement for Fiji Rugby.
Vhavnal
Roar Rookie
Ben Ryan working on getting a Fiji team to Super Rugby in 2018...Hopefully our pathetic FRU will back him up.
richard
Guest
Brains Trust - more like birdbrain.Absolute tripe on a monumental scale. NZ are not threatened by Fiji.In 7's or XV's.The Fijian Super XV team will be fine.But the question has to be asked - where do the players come from? If the bulk come from Fiji,fine.But my guess is most will come out of NZ.All very well for a pom (Ben Ryan) to talk about a Fijian Super side,but you can be sure it will be NZ that will be expected to supply them with playing/coaching talent.And its a bit rich for an aussie to talk about the Fijian plight when you are quite happy to hoover up their talent for the Wallabies. As for the W.Samoan game,well that came from whining,interfering outsiders lecturing NZ on supposedly not doing enough for the islands.So the NZRU was expected to underwrite the whole tour? Don't we do enough for them already? NZ supplies them with most of their players,we send coaches there.On top of which we give them the gates whenever they tour NZ.What more do you expect NZ to do.It is getting seriously tedious how NZ is portrayed as the big bogeyman of the pacific. NZ rugby may not be perfect,but they have done more for the PI's than the rest of the world combined.Next time get your facts straight before you spout this garbage.
NaBUru38
Guest
There should be a Pacific Islands at Super Rugby. Having the Fiji Warriors at the NRC is a good first step.