Ifereimi Rawaqa, the Men’s Skills and Development Coach for Fijian Drua, has been appointed as the Interim Head Coach for the Rooster Chicken Fijian Drua Women in preparation for the 2025 Buildcorp Super Rugby Women campaign. Rawaqa takes over from Mosese Rauluni, who resigned after the recent WXV competition in Dubai.
This decision was made jointly by the Fijian Drua and the Fiji Rugby Union. Fijian Drua CEO Mark Evans expressed gratitude for Rawaqa’s willingness to take on the interim role, emphasizing his respect in the coaching community and his dedication to rugby in Fiji. Evans noted that this arrangement allows both organizations time to conduct a thorough recruitment process for a permanent head coach.
Rawaqa stated his honor in leading the Drua Women for the upcoming season, recognizing the significance as a foundational period for Fiji’s preparation for the 2025 Rugby World Cup. He pointed out that one of his early goals will be to collaborate with the assistant coaches and the Fiji Rugby Union’s high-performance unit to enhance the team’s depth.
The Drua Women have a commendable history in the Super Rugby Women, having won the championship twice in three years and reaching three consecutive grand finals. Rawaqa plans to initiate pre-season preparation earlier this year and is eager to work with the players and staff.
Rawaqa has been a vital part of the Fijian Drua coaching team, overseeing player recruitment and managing development pathways for contracted players. He has also led the high-performance structure for the upcoming Drua Academy, aimed at players aged 17 to 18, and was instrumental in selecting the inaugural cohort of academy players.
A former Flying Fijian with 44 Test caps, Rawaqa has participated in two Rugby World Cups (2003 and 2007) and was part of the winning team at the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens. He holds a World Rugby Level 3 coaching accreditation and began coaching in 2013 with the Lautoka Rugby Under-20 team, progressing to head coach of the main team in 2014.
After moving to Australia in 2016, he worked as a Rugby Talent Identification and Development Officer before returning to Fiji, where he joined the coaching staff for the Fijian Latui in the Global Rapid Rugby competition. He has served as Forwards Coach for the Fiji Warriors and was the Head Coach for Police in the prestigious Sukuna Bowl in 2022. Most recently, Rawaqa led the Fiji U20 team in the Oceania competition and the U20 World Rugby Championship in South Africa, where the team performed commendably.
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