Ifereimi Rawaqa, the Men’s Skills and Development Coach for the Fijian Drua, has been appointed as the Interim Head Coach for the Rooster Chicken Fijian Drua Women ahead of the 2025 Buildcorp Super Rugby Women campaign.
Rawaqa succeeds Mosese Rauluni, who recently resigned from his role overseeing both the Fijian Drua Women and the Vodafone Fijiana 15s following the WXV competition held in Dubai. The Fijian Drua and Fiji Rugby Union announced Rawaqa’s appointment.
Mark Evans, CEO of Fijian Drua, expressed gratitude for Rawaqa’s willingness to step into the interim position. He highlighted Rawaqa’s reputation as a highly respected coach in Fiji, noting the positive impact he is expected to have on the Drua Women’s team in the upcoming season. Evans mentioned that having Rawaqa in this role allows the Fijian Drua and Fiji Rugby Union to conduct a careful recruitment process to find a permanent head coach.
Rawaqa expressed his honor in taking charge of the team for the forthcoming season, emphasizing the importance of this period as crucial for the preparation leading up to the 2025 Rugby World Cup. He identified one of his initial goals as working with the assistant coaches and the Fiji Rugby Union High-Performance Unit to strengthen the squad’s depth.
The Drua Women have an impressive track record in Super Rugby Women, having won the championship twice in just three years and reaching three consecutive grand finals. Rawaqa plans to initiate pre-season training earlier this year and is eager to work collaboratively with players and staff.
Rawaqa has been a vital part of the coaching staff for the Fijian Drua, leading player recruitment and managing the developmental pathways for contracted players. He has recently taken charge of the high-performance setup for the upcoming Drua Academy and was instrumental in selecting its first cohort of players.
As a former player, Rawaqa had an illustrious career with 44 Tests for the national team, participating in two Rugby World Cup campaigns (2003 and 2007) and being a part of the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens-winning squad. He holds a World Rugby Level 3 coaching accreditation and began his coaching career in 2013, leading various teams before taking on significant roles in Australian rugby and returning to Fiji for the Global Rapid Rugby competition.
In 2023, Rawaqa served as the Head Coach for the Fiji U20 team during the Oceania competition and the U20 World Rugby Championship in South Africa, where the team’s performance was noteworthy.
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