Fiji coach Simon Raiwalui has confirmed he won’t be working with Rugby Australia or a Super Rugby club on his return from the World Cup.
Raiwalui has decided not to continue as the team’s head coach despite a better-than-expected result in France – where the team helped eliminate Australia before losing a tight quarter-final to England.
He was a guest on The Roar Rugby Podcast on Wednesday and was asked if he would be linking with the Wallabies. Raiwalui is a former Wallabies assistant coach.
“No, not at the moment,” said Raiwalui, who revealed he does have a job lined up.
“I’ve got a real affinity for Australian rugby. It’s my pathway that I grew up in.
“I started at Manly juniors, Manly colts and then into the Marlins. I’ve got a a real love for the game in Australia and getting it back as healthy as possible.
“But at the moment, no. I’m going to move back to Australia to be with my family but my role, which I can’t say yet, I’ll be hopefully working out of Australia but not for an Australian team or Rugby Australia.”
Hear the chat with Simon Raiwauli in the player below or in your favourite podcast app
Kiwi ref Ben O’Keeffe has responded to French captain Antoine Dupont’s criticism of his performance in the quarter-final between the hosts and South Africa.
“I don’t want to sound bitter, moaning about the refereeing because we lost the match, but I’m not sure the refereeing was up to the challenge,” Dupont said afterwards.
World Rugby clearly disagreed with Dupont’s assessment – they’ve named O’Keeffe to referee the Springboks again in this week’s semi-final against England.
WORLD CUP SEMIFINAL TEAMS AND NEWS
O’Keeffe told NZ outlet Newshub that he was content with his performance.
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
“It’s obviously a very emotional time,” O’Keeffe said. “I just try to respect that and give them space.
“Players and coaches are going to say things, whether you win or lose. I know that we’re never perfect as referees, you definitely make errors in the game.
“But comments that players can make, they can do that after the game. In the heat of battle, things are said.
“I’m sure everything’s fine, we’ve done my review and we’ll reach out and get things back on track as well.
“But I understand the sentiment after a big match like that.”
South African legend Victor Matfield expects New Zealand to cruise through their semifinal against Argentina this weekend, while the Springboks will have to fight tooth and nail to conquer England.
The old rivals are the bookies favourites to advance to the final in Paris on October 29 (AEDT).
“I think it’s going to be an easy game for the All Blacks, to be honest,” said Matfield on the Boks Office podcast.
[Argentina] were very poor in the pool stages and they are getting better. They can be difficult on the day but where the All Blacks are now we know once they get confidence they are so hard to play against. I think they are going to be too strong. I think it’s going to be a bad loss for Argentina.”
Argentina coach Michael Cheika is not surprised that few give them a chance.
“New Zealand has always been an example in rugby, a benchmark. They make you think of high-level skills in a really open game but there are always threats in the lineout, mauls and rucks,” Cheika said.
Head coach Michael Cheika and Julian Montoya. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
“In a World Cup semi-final they are dangerous everywhere. We have been training as best we can, we will be ready. We’ll see what happens.”
On the same podcast, former Springbok John Smit wasn’t so fast to write off the Pumas.
“If they played the All Blacks 10 times in the last 10 years how many times would they have won? They have got better and better,” Smit said.
“The way they played in the first weekend against England with a man down as well, that was so out of character for them.
“But they seem to have resurrected themselves and again another team that gets ugly to beat the more they believe in themselves. That is what a World Cup does, it builds your mental momentum nicely. The more you survive hard times, big moments, they galvanise you. It will be interesting to see how competitive they make themselves on the weekend.”
In contrast, Matfield was concerned about what’s facing South Africa against England.
“England can beat us,” he said. “I think they are the one team that plays a very conservative type of game. They play in the right areas, they play territory, they don’t take any chances. They take the three points, getting a little bit ahead, waiting for the opposition to make mistakes.
“That is a difficult game to play against, especially for us who like going off turnovers.”
Wales coach Warren Gatland says his England counterpart Steve Borthwick must be ready to counter the “dark arts” of South Africa’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus ahead of their semi-final.
Gatland, whose side went out in the quarter-finals to Argentina last weekend, also wrote in a column in the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday that England must match the defending champions both physically and mentally in Paris.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Erasmus had answered a question about whom he thought Borthwick would field by reading out a possible line-up, and Gatland said that was an attempt to unsettle England.
“Rassie has already tried to gain a mental edge and sow seeds of doubt by naming what he thinks Borthwick’s team will be for the semi-finals,” wrote Gatland.
“To have any chance against the Springboks you must attempt not just to match them physically but also to be tactically smart and show no signs of mental weakness.”
Gatland and Erasmus fell out during the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa where Erasmus acted as a “water boy”, running onto the field and passing on instructions while wearing a bib reserved for those who carry refreshments to the players.
This was later banned by World Rugby, with Gatland quipping: “If he is going to act as a water boy, at least he should have some water in his bottle”.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland. (Photo by Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images)
Gatland also wrote he did not like South Africa’s “win-at-all-costs attitude where the end justifies the means” and suggested England ask questions “about the number of head injury assessments South Africa called for in their victory against France”.
Two players went off to be checked by doctors on the insistence of the Springboks coaches during the quarter-final win over the hosts on Sunday.
When asked on Tuesday whether he would ever use the HIA regulations to rotate players and give them some rest during the game, Erasmus answered with a curt “no”.
Meanwhile, Freddie Steward is set for a recall as England’s starting fullback against South Africa with Marcus Smith expected to be ruled out.
French Top 14 clubRacing 92 has accused England’s Tom Curry of injuring their Fiji centre Josua Tuisova with a “violent” no-arms tackle in the quarter-final.
Tuisova, who has joined the club from Lyon, was forced off after 72 minutes against England having suffered a knee injury during the first half after a tackle by Curry.
The Englishman escaped any punishment from referee Mathieu Raynal – just one of several calls the Frenchman made that left the Fijians angry after the 30-24 loss.
Tom Curry of England makes his way out of the tunnel prior to the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Quarter Final match between England and Fiji at Stade Velodrome on October 15, 2023 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Racing released an unusual statement that read: “During the England – Fiji match counting for the 3rd quarter-final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, last Sunday October 15, the Fijian center of Racing 92 Josua Tuisova suffered a violent tackle without the arms of the English player No.7 thus injuring his left knee.
“The player will consult specialist opinions in the coming days to determine the duration of his unavailability.
“Racing 92 wishes Josua Tuisova a speedy recovery and shows him all its support during this period.”
South Africa could restore the Rugby World Cup-winning halfback pairing of Handre Pollard and Faf de Klerk to start Saturday’s semi-final against England.
If it is the case it would mark a big-game return for Pollard after a litany of setbacks over the last few years.
Pollard, 29, was initially left out of South Africa’s squad after struggling to prove his fitness following a calf injury but received a late call-up when Malcolm Marx needed knee surgery in the first days of the tournament.
He could now line up to play at Stade de France, says Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus.
“It’s been an interesting four years since the last World Cup,” said Pollard with a wry smile.
“A lot of highs and lows with COVID-19, injuries when I was in France and then an injury before the Premiership semi-final with Leicester this year.
“And then again a lot of ups and downs in the last few months, not being selected then coming back but that’s all in the past, we’re here now and I’m excited for the weekend,” he told a press conference.
Pollard was the pivot when South Africa beat England in the World Cup final four years ago, kicking over six penalties and two conversions for a 22-point total in the 32-12 win in Yokohama.
But he has since been usurped by Manie Libbok, the Springboks’ first choice flyhalf at this World Cup.
Erasmus suggested, however, Pollard and De Klerk, both second half replacements in last Sunday’s quarter-final win over France, might start in what would be another shift in tactics from Erasmus and coach Jacques Nienaber.
“It’s all meticulously planned and the coaches have earned our trust over the years from what they’ve done, how they prepare.
“They give us a reason why we do whatever we do and then we just back it, we’re all in,” said Pollard, who has only started one game at this World Cup against Tonga in the pool stage.
Pressure at the business end of the tournament would be no problem too, he added.
“It’s not always been easy for a lot of our guys in our squad growing up. So when we get to this position and get to this point, where there should be a lot of pressure on us, we refer back to it a lot.
“This is not really pressure, rather it’s a privilege to be part of these occasions,” Pollard said.
(With agencies)
Column: So, elite test rugby might be going to Qatar. Interesting. I can’t say I’m too enthused. Nothing to do with sportswashing, but we’ll…
Australian rugby has many problems - financial crisis, ever-shrinking audiences, shortage of coaching expertise, Greg Martin, etc etc. But one problem which I have…
By my count, the Brumbies have played three teams of consequence this season. The first two - the Chiefs and Blues - thrashed them…
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan says it’s “purely coincidental” that Semipeni Finau has put on a massive, late hit on a fourth fly-half in nine…
He was born 1905, 1904 or 1908 according to various reports, in Wairoa, Hawkes Bay, and is remembered as one of the great Māori players.
I don’t really get the comparisons between Joey Manu and Sonny Bill Williams. I realise they have the Roosters in common, along with a…
