Ifereimi Rawaqa has been appointed as the interim head coach of the Rooster Chicken Fijian Drua Women for the upcoming 2025 Super Rugby Women campaign. Rawaqa, who is currently the men’s skills and development coach for the Fijian Drua, succeeds Mosese Rauluni, who resigned from the dual role of coach for the Fijian Drua women and Vodafone Fijiana XVs following the recent WXV competition in Dubai. This decision was made collaboratively by the Drua and the Fiji Rugby Union.
Mark Evans, the chief executive officer of the Fijian Drua, expressed gratitude for Rawaqa’s acceptance of the interim role as they gear up for the crucial 2025 Super W campaign. He praised Rawaqa as one of the most respected coaches in Fiji and assured that the Drua women would be in capable hands under his leadership. This interim appointment allows for a thorough recruitment process for the permanent head coach position.
Rawaqa commented on the honor of taking the helm for the Rooster Chicken Fijian Drua women, recognizing this season as crucial for the women’s team as they lay the groundwork for Fiji’s preparation for the 2025 Rugby World Cup. He emphasized his goal of collaborating with the assistant coaches and the high-performance unit of the Fiji Rugby Union to strengthen the squad’s depth.
Under Rawaqa’s coaching, the Drua women have achieved significant success in the Super W, winning the championship twice in three years and reaching three consecutive grand finals. He plans to start pre-season training earlier this year and is excited to work closely with the players and coaching staff.
Rawaqa is an important member of the Drua coaching staff and has been actively involved in player recruitment and development. He recently oversaw the high-performance setup for the new Drua Academy and was instrumental in selecting the first cohort of academy players.
With 44 international caps for Fiji, Rawaqa has participated in two Rugby World Cup tournaments (2003 and 2007) and was part of the victorious 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens team. He holds a World Rugby Level 3 coaching accreditation and began his coaching career in 2013 with the Lautoka Rugby Under-20 team, later taking the head coach position for the senior side in 2014.
In 2016, Rawaqa moved to Australia to work as a Rugby Talent ID and development officer at Kaizen Hill before returning to coach the Fijian Latui in the Global Rapid Rugby competition. He has also served as the forwards coach for the Fiji Warriors and was the head coach of the Police team for the prestigious Ratu Sukuna Bowl in 2022. Most recently, he led the Fiji U20 team in the Oceania competition and the U20 World Rugby Championship in South Africa, where they performed impressively.
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