 South Africa vs Fiji during 2007 Rugby World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 20 September 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Vuda, Lautoka, Fiji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 113 kg (17 st 11 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Taniela Rawaqa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ifereimi Rawaqa (born September 20, 1980 in Vuda, Lautoka, Fiji) is a Fijian rugby union player. He plays as a lock or flanker.
In 2002, when he was still 21 when he made his test debut in the victory over Samoa, in Apia. After four matches as a substitute, he made his first start against Tonga in the 47-20 win at Prince Charles Park in Nadi, and celebrated with a well-worked try from 35 metres out when he raced onto a chip over the top from Seru Rabeni. His build makes him an ideal line-out jumper, but he is also equipped with speed to match most wingers.
Injury saw him miss the 2003 early-season trials and he did not feature in the warm-up matches against Australia or Tonga. When Apenisa Naevo pulled up late in the first match of the New Zealand tour last August, Rawaqa was called up. He also led his provincial team Lautoka to both major trophies in Fiji in 2003 – the Telecom Cup and the Farebrother-Sullivan Trophy, which is a challenge competition similar to New Zealand's Ranfurly Shield.
In 2004 Rawaqa was selected in the Pacific Islanders team where he started all 3 test matches. After an impressive showing for the Islanders he was offered a contract to play for Auckland but turned it down preferring to play for Japanese club World Fighting Bull.
Rawaqa showed his pace when he outran the Wales backline to score under the posts in what was so nearly an historic win for Fiji at Cardiff in 2005, when Fiji lost 11-10.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKnR1n2DDTY
He has played at two world cups, 2003 and 2007 being part of the historical quarter-final reaching team. He was also part of Fiji's 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens winning team.
He is the elder brother of Fijian International Taniela Rawaqa who plays fullback for Fiji.
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The Pacific Islanders was a combined international rugby union team that played from 2004 to 2008. It represented Fiji, Samoa and Tonga; Niue and the Cook Islands also supplied players to the squad for their tour in 2004. The team did not play at Rugby World Cups, where each of the nations continued to represent themselves.
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The Fiji national rugby union team represents Fiji in men's international rugby union. Fiji competed in the Pacific Tri-Nations and now competes in its successor tournament Pacific Nations Cup. Fiji also regularly plays test matches during the June and November test windows. They have beaten the major rugby playing sides of Wales, Scotland, Australia, France, Italy, Argentina and England. The only major sides Fiji are yet to beat are New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland.
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Ratu Seru Rabeni was a Fijian rugby union player. He played as a centre or wing. At both club and international level, his physicality and heavy tackles earned him the nickname "Rambo".
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Rodger Siaosi Toutai Kefu is a Tongan-Australian professional rugby union coach and former player who has been coaching the Tonga national team since 2016.
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Mosese Vosanibola, spelt also as Mosese Vosanibole is a Fijian rugby union player. He plays as scrum-half. He is nicknamed Moses and Jack Dolly.
The 2019 Oceania Rugby Women's Championship that was held in Fiji, was the 2021 Rugby World Cup qualifier for the Oceania region. The tournament was played at Churchill Park in Lautoka from 18 to 30 November 2019, with six teams entered. Australia and New Zealand sent development teams, having already qualified for the 2021 World Cup.
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