EXCLUSIVE: The Roar formally declared former Wallabies and Fijian coach to be the Waratahs’ head of performance.
Special: Former Fijian and Wallabies coach to receive cherished Waratahs role.
Simon Raiwalui, who shocked the Wallabies in Saint Etienne to lead Fiji to their biggest World Cup victory, will take over as head of performance at the Waratahs ten months from now. Raiwalui, who began his incredible rugby career with Manly in the Shute Shield after moving to Tempe, Sydney, with his mother when he was a little boy, is coming full circle as the head of performance for the Waratahs, according to The Roar.
Raiwalui narrowly defeated Rebels general manager and former Wallabies front-rower Nick Stiles to be named later this week, it is said. The Roar reported on Sunday that Raiwalui was interviewed last week by high performance specialist Mark McGovern, chief executive Paul Doorn of Waratahs, and director of high performance Peter Horne of Rugby Australia, all of whom shortlisted him.
He is the most recent World Rugby employee to settle in Australia since Horne and Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt did so in December. His arrival is much needed, since the Waratahs finished last in the Super Rugby competition this year and are having difficulty luring new players and keeping hold of existing ones.
In fact, Wallabies forwards Ned Hanigan and Lachie Swinton have already left the Waratahs, while Jed Holloway’s departure is anticipated to be official in the upcoming weeks. The Waratahs will lack firepower and experience up front ahead of an important year for Australian rugby, when the British and Irish Lions will make their first tour of the nation since 2013.
The fact that Waratahs captain Jake Gordon sought to leave the team quickly before Rugby Australia stopped him and Schmidt insisted on calling on the halfback with the Wallabies is another example of the crisis that the team is going through.
The 30-year-old’s wish to move abroad, despite his temporary stay, encapsulates the awful atmosphere in Daceyville in recent months. Rugby Australia’s Moore Park office, located across ANZAC Parade from Waratahs HQ, will experience a reduction in tension with Raiwalui’s arrival. The national governing body is keen for the Super Rugby franchise to reach its 2014 peak.
Despite being in the largest rugby market in the nation, RA’s prospects of turning the tide have been hampered by the Waratahs’ decline into obscurity. In Darren Coleman’s third and last season, the team managed just two victories. RA is cash-strapped and stuck in television talks.
However, Raiwalui’s selection will gain some legitimacy and respect. Preceding Michael Cheika’s appointment as his forwards coach ahead of the 2019 World Cup, the Fijian international captained Saracens and made a smooth transition to coaching, taking over at Stade Francais.
Raiwalui joined Fiji Rugby as general manager after an 18-month tenure with the Wallabies, and he was quickly promoted to national head coach after Vern Cotter abruptly left the team early in the previous year. On the eve of the World Cup, he then guided Fiji to an incredible shock of England at Twickenham. Later, his team executed the tournament’s last act in France, defeating the Wallabies in Saint Etienne, which severely damaged Eddie Jones’ campaign.
Raiwalui, 49, stunned a lot of people by leaving the national team at the conclusion of the World Cup to take a position as manager of player pathways and high performance at World Rugby, following their narrow defeat in the quarterfinals.
