Ifereimi Rawaqa, the skills and development coach for the Fijian Drua men’s team, has been named the interim head coach for the Rooster Chicken Fijian Drua Women’s team as they prepare for the 2025 Super Rugby Women season. Rawaqa succeeds Mosese Rauluni, who stepped down from his dual role as head coach for both the Fijian Drua women and the Vodafone Fijiana XVs after the recent WXV competition held in Dubai. The decision was made by the Drua organization along with the Fiji Rugby Union.
Mark Evans, the CEO of Fijian Drua, expressed appreciation for Rawaqa’s willingness to take on this interim role during a crucial time as they gear up for the upcoming Super W campaign. He highlighted Rawaqa’s reputation as one of the most respected coaches in Fiji and his unwavering commitment to rugby in the country, ensuring that the Drua women are in capable hands for the season ahead. The plan is to conduct a thorough search for a permanent head coach while Rawaqa leads the team temporarily.
Rawaqa called it an honor to take over the coaching responsibilities and emphasized the significance of the upcoming season in terms of preparation for the 2025 Rugby World Cup. He mentioned that one of his top priorities is collaborating with the Drua Women’s assistant coaches and the Fiji Rugby Union’s high-performance unit to enhance the team’s depth.
The Drua women have a strong history in the Super W, having won the championship twice in three years and reaching three successive grand finals. Rawaqa intends to begin pre-season training earlier this year and is eager to engage with the players and staff.
Rawaqa has been a key member of the Drua coaching staff, overseeing recruitment and managing player pathways. He has also led the high-performance setup for the upcoming Drua Academy for schoolboys aged 17 to 18 and played a significant role in selecting the inaugural cohort of academy players.
As a former player, Rawaqa boasts an impressive record with the Flying Fijians, having participated in 44 Tests and two Rugby World Cups in 2003 and 2007. He was also part of the victorious 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens squad. Holding a World Rugby Level 3 coaching accreditation, Rawaqa began his coaching career in 2013 with the Lautoka Rugby Under-20 team before becoming head coach for the main team in 2014.
After moving to Australia in 2016, he worked as a Rugby Talent ID and development officer before returning to Fiji to join the coaching staff for the Fijian Latui in the Global Rapid Rugby competition. His past coaching positions include being the forwards coach for the Fiji Warriors and head coach for the Police team in the prestigious Ratu Sukuna Bowl in 2022. Most recently, Rawaqa was the head coach for the Fiji U20 team in the Oceania competition and the U20 World Rugby Championship in South Africa, where Fiji performed remarkably well.
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