Simon Raiwalui is the man responsible for bringing structure to this exciting Fijian side. He has only been in the head coach position since February 2023 but it is clear that he is the right fit.
He was born in New Zealand and schooled in Australia where he played with Joe Roff and Ben Tune. His rugby journey as a player took him to Sale Sharks, Newport, Saracens, and the Newcastle Falcons.
Due to birthright, he played for Fiji 39 times and the Pacific Islanders 3 times.
What he has brought to this Fijian side has been structure and discipline where they needed it most.
No one in the world doubts the fact that the Fijian players are the best athletes in the whole of world rugby. They are also the most skilled (by a long shot) and equipped with depth, understanding, and a vision for scoring opportunities.
But they have always lacked the structure and the continued focus required in the longer formats of the game. Their scrums, lineouts, rucks, and mauls used to only be good some of the time.
This has certainly changed under Raiwalui and the team now boasts solid phase play. They still don’t have all the defensive aspects in place, and they still find it challenging to play for the full 80 minutes, but in time, they will certainly get there.
Considering what Raiwalui has accomplished in a short time span, I fear for the rest of the teams, especially if the Fijians continue to build on their successes.
At only 43 years of age, most people still remember him as a player rather than a coach. He was an absolute stalwart in the Bath, Saracens, and England teams for a decade at the turn of the century.
He turned out for Bath in 246 games and played 144 times for Saracens. He also played 51 games for England between 2001 and 2010 and was captain between 2008 and 2010 before he was dropped.
His rugby brain is held in high regard, and his first coaching gig started as an assistant coach for Japan from 2012 to 2015. From there he coached Bristol’s forwards during 2015 for a short period before becoming England’s forward coach from 2015 to 2020 and picking up a World Cup silver medal along the way.
In 2020 he became head coach at Leicester Tigers until 2022 and was then moved into the head coach position for England. There has been some harsh criticism against him since taking over the reins from Eddie Jones.
Keep in mind he took over a dysfunctional national team during a World Cup year, while his every move has been closely watched by the entire England rugby public. Such intense scrutiny comes at a great personal and professional price and it remains to be seen how he will deal with the challenges.
There has been very little to get excited about the team’s performance thus far except for the victory in the first week of the World Cup against Argentina. This a far cry from the dominant England reaching the 6 Nations Championship and World Cup finals, but it is a first step at the very least.
He deserves some time to build up this team and incorporate his coaching approach. If an accomplished player immediately gets the opportunity to get into a coaching career at a national level for an extended period of time, then there must be something special about him.
Will he be England’s Andy Farell? It is too early to say. I just hope they keep him in this position for a few more years so that we can see how this unfolds.
The 2nd week didn’t disappoint in any way, shape or form! It was great to see yet another week of consistent and quality performances by the Tier 2 teams, or as they are now called the “performance nations”.
France vs Uruguay
The positive France can take from that game is that they won. The rest of the credit needs to go to Uruguay. They left everything on the field; not just loads of passion, but they also played quality rugby for 80 minutes.
The only major mistake they made was the exit kick that hit one of their own players and allowed France to score a lucky second try. Up until that point they were down by 13-12 with about 10 minutes to go. The 27-12 final score flattered France way too much.
Andrés Vilaseca pitched up to the post-match press conference still in his Uruguayan kit, covered in blood and grass stains. His speech rang true and displayed a sense of pride for their team and nation. Something that struck me was when Vilasace mentioned how all the journalists now suddenly wanted to talk to him, but there were only 2 at their team announcement.
It is time that all teams in rugby get treated with the same level of respect. Tier 1 and 2 are irrelevant labels; what matters is that every single team at the World Cup has earned their spot. The smaller teams still represent their countries, and many of them with intense passion and pride, and they should be given a professional level of respect and praise, especially if they played well. Full stop.
New Zealand vs. Namibia
The game was one-sided from the start and Namibia was only competitive in phases. You could see though that during these times it was a far better side than they have been in past years and they are definitely evolving as a national team.
The scoreline was a fair reflection of how the All Blacks started gaining back some of their composure and positive play.
I have to highlight the play of Damian McKenzie and how he was able to turn their backline into more of an offensive threat again. Something that has been sorely missing for their last few games.
Samoa vs. Chile
Samoa opened their World Cup campaign with a solid victory over a resilient Chile. Chile had moments in open play where they threatened and they deserved their try. If they scored one or two more, no one would have considered it lucky.
Samoa however showed their class and were able to put together a good victory. They were able to build through phases and score some brilliant tries but did struggle with the number of handling errors in the game.
This is always strange to see from any islander side as they are normally exceptional ball handlers. Hopefully, this could be ascribed to first-game jitters and we hope to see them improve as the tournament continues. They remain well-positioned to make it to the quarter-finals.
Wales vs. Portugal
Portugal stayed in the contest for the majority of the match and the score just got away from them in the last quarter.
It was evident that many of the Portuguese players have started playing at a higher level and there are some top-class players in their ranks.
What I don’t like is that we never see a Portuguese game on this side of the world, and I was taken aback by the strides they are making as a team!
Wales can be happy with moments of their game but it was a step back in many respects compared to the Fiji game. At this stage, the Welsh may very well find themselves in a position where they exit the World Cup at the quarter-final stage.
Ireland vs. Tonga
Tonga is packed with potential but not yet executing their play at that same. The players are superior athletes with exceptional skill levels, but they were clearly outclassed and not used to playing against the likes of Ireland, which is a shame.
They lack a sense of structure, even when playing weaker teams. Unfortunately, these shortcomings are amplified at World Cup level, and their shortcomings are exposed, which makes it difficult to play competitive rugby.
Tonga were VERY exciting to watch at times but the excitement got interrupted by silly mistakes and the stubborn Irish defense.
Ireland was the epitome of professionalism. They have a disciplined scrum and lineout that runs like clockwork. Their defense is effective and they reset in seconds. They don’t overcommit at rucks, on defense or offense, and they work especially hard without the ball.
A team that works hard without the ball to get back in position to defend or to attack often gets the desired results.
They do all of this with two key things that set them apart from all other teams in the tournament:
They almost never get penalty cards, no matter the color; their discipline remains impeccable.
Only the captain addresses the referee; all other players remain silent. Absolute class!
Ireland, no doubt, deserves their spot at the top of the world rankings.
Things that Stood out this Weekend
The focus in terms of cards is to try and force dangerous head contact out of the game. It is the right idea but some streamlining is still required. I would love to see the stats in a few month’s time on the number of concussions and other head injuries and if this has had a positive impact. Hopefully, it did
The times of only having 8 or so top teams in the world are coming to an end. This number is quickly shifting toward the 16 mark, which is wonderful for the game globally. I hope to see a situation by the 2027 and 2031 World Cups where a #3 time loses a game to a #19 team.
Ireland are a class act. In absolutely every aspect of the game, they are a class act. Watching an Ireland game is a joy, especially for the hard work they do that never gets onto a highlight reel.
Our two biggest winners from the weekend: Fiji & Uruguay
Uruguay showed that it is time for the historically smaller teams to be respected in all facets. They played with passion, pushed France all the way, and were in it until the last 10 minutes. Then you talk about their captain Andrés Vilaseca’s post-match interviews. If you haven’t seen it yet, go and watch it.
Fiji was the biggest winner this weekend. They beat Australia for the first time in 69 years and were worth every single point they got. It was very hard fought but the most dangerous thing that came from this is the belief that is now taking root in this team. They have a good chance of getting out of the pool stages, and I for one won’t be shocked to see them reach their first semi-final.
Ireland will face their first real test of the World Cup and Tonga will be out to prove a point.
Ireland had a less pressured game to open their account, and they came through that with flying colors.
Tonga will be opening their account when they play Ireland. They will be up against the top team in the world but they will be buoyed by the performance of their Fijian neighbours.
The class that this Tonga side has displayed throughout their campaign preparations should not be underestimated. They have numerous players who have returned home after playing high-quality rugby for other nations and they are indeed considered professionals in Europe.
Out of the three island nations, Tonga is often seen as the most combative and this will be a great test for Ireland.
Ireland will have two more battles to face after the Tonga game, and this game will prepare them well for the inevitable onslaught from South Africa.
The Ireland team has been one of the most disciplined and well-coached teams in the world for the past 2 years.
They will be in an all-out war but they should still prevail by sticking to their well-organized and suffocating defense and their methodical attacking structures.
After the Romania match Ireland had a record in 2023 of only conceding something like 5 tries in 8 games in 2023!
Their patience in the build-up and the way that they craft opportunities will be something to look forward to, but Tonga has made it clear on a couple of occasions that they aren’t just here to make up the numbers.
For the 2nd weekend in a row, Fiji will be part of the game of the week.
Let’s start with the Australians first though.
Before their game over the weekend, they had gone 286 days (something like that) without a victory.
Eddie Jones has been working feverishly to get them to take a step up and they were finally able to do so against Georgia.
It helped their cause that Georgia was not at their best but there were clear signs of improvement and a will to win in this Wallabies team.
The mental boost that they would have taken from this game should not be underestimated.
I do believe that based on what they saw of the Wales vs. Fiji game, some Aussies might opt for a personal day when this game rolls around.
Fiji were massive in their game against Wales. Wales put up a defensive effort for the books but the Fijians looked scary all over the park.
In attack, they were devastating and I don’t believe the Aussie defense would be able to replicate what Wales were able to do. The slower attack from the Australians will also be tackling practice for the giants of Fiji.
I think the game will end with a lot of Australians needing medical attention and a victorious Fijian side.
Fiji is emerging as a team to be reckoned with and this would be a wonderful opportunity for them to show the world that the win against England wasn’t a fluke.
The controversies around a yellow and a red card often make headlines and it is often not officiated correctly in the heat of the moment.
There are however clear rules from World Rugby on how this should be applied and this is something I feel there should be a little more time spent on during matches.
With a yellow card, I think the decision can be taken a bit quicker and on the spot but with all red cards there should be careful consideration. The new way in which yellow cards are referred to the TMOs for consideration of upgrading to a red card is a step in the right direction.
It is however sometimes a little difficult to understand why certain cards are issued and we will have a quick look at both of them. There are some mitigating factors that might come into play but we aren’t going to try and touch on all of them.
The yellow cards are the easier ones to adjudicate for the most part. Players get issued yellow cards in the following situations:
A professional foul – when there is a clear opportunity for a team to score a try and they are stopped by someone performing an illegal action. That can be pulling down an advancing maul, going blatantly offside, or slowing down the ball.
Repeated infringements – this usually starts with the referee warning a team after they have conceded penalties for the same reason in short succession.
The tackle situations are a little more difficult:
High tackle – if the tackle starts high around a player’s neck, it should be a yellow card. Sometimes a player starts lower and their arms slide up and that usually only ends up being a penalty, but there are exceptions.
Contact with the head – when there is contact with another player’s head, then it should be an automatic yellow card. This is the exception we spoke about. If it is dangerous, then it should be a red card.
Neckroll – not strictly a tackle but similar. In a ruck when a player is jackling over the ball an opposing player can move them off the ball on their shoulders or arms. Sometimes the defending players wrap their arms around a player’s neck and twist them out of the ruck with a neck roll. This should always be an instant yellow.
Taking out a player in the air – if a player is taken out in the air, either in a lineout or from a kick it can result in a yellow card. That is if the player is not brought down safely to the ground. If the player goes past the horizontal and lands on their neck or head, it can be upgraded to a red card.
Red cards are just the stricter application of these laws in many instances and it usually gets applied depending on the severity of the incident.
The blatant incidents of foul play get the red cards as they should.
When there is a punch thrown or there is reckless contact with an opposing player’s head, then the red should always come out.
If a player is taken out in the air and the other player doesn’t come down safely, it often results in a red. Especially if the other player didn’t really have a chance to realistically compete for the ball. This is applied mostly to kicks but I would like to see this happen as often in lineouts as well if a player gets pulled down.
Another obvious red card is issued when a player receives two yellow cards in a match, but there are indeed gray areas in applying this rule.
One instance occurs in the tackle situation when match officials try to judge the intent while taking mitigating circumstances into consideration. A clearer red card is where a player doesn’t use their arms, as was the case in the most recent controversial Owen Farrel tackle. There was no noticeable effort to wrap his arms around the other player and he tackled with an upward motion. He has been playing rugby for many years and knows the proper tackling techniques. His actions were appropriately dealt with by the match officials.
The more difficult calls come often come down to unfortunate timing or a simple misjudgment. The most recent incident involving Tom Curry stands out as a prime example where changing the call from a yellow to a red card was considered a bit harsh by many. The player was coming down after jumping from the ball and Curry had no intent, in my opinion, to put in an illegal tackle. It was strictly judged according to the law with no mitigating circumstances and a clear collision of heads.
There will still be many such problematic situations for the officials to deal with over the next few weeks and there will be a spotlight on all calls throughout the tournament. I hope they get the vast majority of it right though and that it doesn’t negatively influence the outcome of games.
