| Date of birth | 21 September 1962 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Sigatoka, Fiji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ifereimi Tawake (born 21 September 1962 in Sigatoka) is a Fijian former rugby union footballer and coach of Sacramento Mountain Lions. [1] He played as flanker and lock.
His first cap for Fiji was against Wales, at Suva, on 31 May 1986. Although having not taking part at the 1987 Rugby World Cup, he took part to the 1991 and 1999 World Cups, where in the former, he played 3 matches, while in the latter, he played 2 matches. He retired from the international career after the pool stage match against England at Twickenham on 20 October 1999.
In 2001, he replaced Greg Smith as caretaker coach for the Flying Fijians [2] until he was replaced in 2002 by Mac McCallion. He also coached clubs like Coastal Stallions, Western Crusaders, Northern Sharks, [3] Fiji Barbarians, [4] Fiji Warriors. [5] From 2013 he coached the Sacramento Mountain Lions. [6]
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.
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, Argentina and England. The only major sides Fiji are yet to beat are New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland.
Gregor Peter John Townsend is a Scottish professional rugby union coach and former player who has been coaching the Scotland national team since 2017.
Michael Robert Leighton Blair is a Scottish rugby union coach who was formerly a professional player. He will be the Assistant Coach of the Kobe Steelers for the 2023-24 season. He was previously the head coach of Edinburgh, and also was an assistant coach with Glasgow Warriors and then an assistant coach of the Scottish national team.
Denis Charles Betts is an English rugby league coach and former player. He was assistant coach of the England national team.
Nigel Faletoese Vagana, also known by the nicknames of "Pablo", and "Chiko", is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s, as a wing, centre and five-eighth. A New Zealand and Samoa international representative, he retired as the Kiwis' all-time top try-scorer with 19. Vagana played club football in New Zealand for the Warriors, in England for Warrington, and in Australia for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Vagana represented the New Zealand national team 32 times between 1998 and 2006, including playing in the 2000 World Cup. He is also the cousin of Bradford Bulls prop-forward Joe Vagana, and former Silver Ferns netball player Linda Vagana.
Glenn Hayden Metcalfe is a former rugby union footballer who played at fullback for Glasgow Warriors, Castres and Scotland.
Paul Deacon is an English rugby union coach who is the head coach of the Sale Sharks in Premiership Rugby, and former a professional rugby league footballer and coach.
The Fiji national rugby sevens team has competed in the World Rugby Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Olympics. Fiji won the gold medal in the inaugural rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics in 2016 in Brazil, the country's first Olympic medal in any event, and repeated as Olympic champions in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, defeating New Zealand. Thus Fiji is the sole nation to have won Olympic gold in the sport. They are the only country in the world to have won the Sevens Treble, the three major achievements in Sevens. They have won multiple World Rugby Sevens Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Rodger Siaosi Toutai Kefu is a Tongan professional rugby union coach and former player who has been coaching the Tonga national team since 2016.
James Whitinui Joseph is a New Zealand-born Japanese former rugby union player and current rugby union coach. A flanker, Joseph represented Otago at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1992 to 1995, before representing Japan in 1999. Joseph, now head coach of the Japanese national side, has coached since his retirement, coming through the ranks in New Zealand before his first national stint.
The 2000 New Zealand rugby league season was the 93rd season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the inaugural season of the Bartercard Cup competition that was run by the New Zealand Rugby League. The Canterbury Bulls won the Cup by defeating the Otahuhu Leopards 38–24 in the Grand Final.
Shawn Pittman is an American rugby union coach and former player. Pittman played prop for Old Puget Sound Beach and the United States Eagles. He played in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He is currently the head coach of the Utah Warriors in Major League Rugby (MLR).
Dave Rennie is a New Zealand and Cook Islands professional rugby union coach and former player. He will take over the Kobe Steelers as head coach for the 2023-24 season. He previously was the head coach of the Australia national rugby union team from 2020 to 2023, having previously coached New Zealand sides the Chiefs, Manawatu, Wellington, the New Zealand U20, as well as in Scotland, with Glasgow Warriors from 2017 to 2020. Rennie's playing position was Centre. In November 2019 he was named the head coach of the Australian national team until being sacked in January 2023.
Inoke Male, is a Fijian former rugby union footballer and former head coach of the Fijian national side. He played in the position of Number eight, but could also play Flanker during his playing career.
Setareki "Seta" Tawake Naivaluwaqa is a retired Fijian rugby union player, who was capped for Fiji on 31 occasions. He played as Openside flanker or Number 8. He played in two Rugby World Cups. He was also a soldier
Deon Jerome Kayser is a South African former rugby union player and current coach. He played as a wing.
Epeli Naituivau is a Fijian former rugby union footballer, who played as prop. He is one of the eight members of the country's armed forces to play for Fiji in a Rugby World Cup squad, alongside Koli Rakoroi, Elia Rokowailoa, Rusiate Namoro, Tom Mitchell, Alifereti Dere and Setareki Tawake.
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.
Kalivati Tawake is a Fijian rugby union player who played for the Waratahs in the Super Rugby competition. His position of choice is prop.
