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International

Fiji player ratings vs France | Quilter Nations Series 2025

Henry Lee

166 days ago

Fiji’s winger #11 Jiuta Wainiqolo (L) is tackled by France’s centre #23 Emilien Gailleton during the Autumn Nations Series international rugby union test match between France and Fiji, at the Atlantic Stadium Bordeaux Metropole, in Bordeaux, south-western France

Fiji player ratings: Mick Byrne’s side fought hard, but have fell short against France in Bordeaux, 34-21.

The Flying Fijians had multiple standout performers, including both wingers who looked dangerous every time they touched the ball.

Fiji will now turn their attention to Spain next week in Malaga.

Here’s how the Flying Fijians rated:

1. Haereiti Hetet – 4

Gave away a free kick in the first scrum for an early push, and was part of a scrum that went backwards most of the night. Off at 60 mins with four carries and only one recorded tackle.

2. Tevita Ikanivere – 7

The Fijian captain was busy like usual throughout his shift up front, but a couple of his lineout throws were stolen. His carries often brought multiple French defenders together to try and stop the 26-year-old. Despite his constant work around the field, a couple of sloppy errors didn’t help as the game slowly got away from Fiji.

3. Mesake Doge – 5

Penalised for a needless offside in midfield, and struggled big time at the scrum. Was physical with his nine carries, but the scrum significantly improved when he left the field alongside Hetet late on. Not his finest night.

4. Isoa Nasilasila – 5.5

Nasilasila was often seen being a nuisance at the breakdown, creating pressure and forcing French players to make a couple of mistakes. With Byrne’s side dominating the ball at times, a lot of Nasilasila’s work was at the bottom of rucks and shifting bodies around the field. No standout moments but battled hard making nine carries and two dominant tackles.

5. Temo Mayanavanua – 6

Not a great night at lineout time, and their rolling maul defence was a problem. Despite the team struggling at the set-piece, Mayanavanua was brilliant with ball in hand making eleven carries in his 80 minute shift in difficult, and wet conditions in Bordeaux.

6. Pita-Gus Sowakula – 6

The former All Black impressed last week with his performance against England and was given another shot by Byrne in Bordeaux. Sowakula was everywhere throughout his 80 minute shift, and was one of Fiji’s top players on the stat sheet on both sides of the ball.

7. Elia Canakaivata – 7

Brilliant tackle to break the ball loose as Fiji were defending their line, and was absolutely everywhere at the Atlantic Stadium in Bordeaux Metropole. The Fijian Drua loose-forward was huge on both sides of the ball, carrying 13 times and making 8 tackles.

8. Viliame Mata – 6.5

Villiame Mata continues to be an absolute workhorse for Byrne’s side, while also showing great skills on attack. Just when you thought a French rolling maul would get to the line, he popped up and won an important steal. Off at 54 with nine carries and only two recorded tackles.

9. Simione Kuruvoli – 7

You know what to expect from Kuruvoli, and we got exactly that in Bordeaux this evening. Couple of snipes around the ruck kept the French defenders guessing, and his goal-kicking improved Fiji’s chances when they shifted it from Muntz. Multiple nice short passes to full steam ahead Fijian ball carriers, before coming off at 76 minutes.

Match Summary

Penalty Goals

Tries

Conversions

Drop Goals

Carries

141

Line Breaks

Turnovers Lost

Turnovers Won

10. Caleb Muntz – 6

Struggled in the opening 15 minutes and missed a relatively routine goal-kick from inside the French half. Showed nice hands in midfield with an offload or two, but it wasn’t his finest showing on a night where they could have had a famous victory. Looked better with ball in hand as the game went on, and gave Fiji an opportunity late with a superb 50/22.

11. Jiuta Wainiqolo – 8

Fiji’s livewire with ball in hand and one of their best on the night. Had absolutely no right to get to the line in the 43rd minute, but the 26-year-old flyer managed to brush off a couple of defenders to reach for the line and score Fiji’s try that levelled the scores at 21 apiece. Huge threat every time he got the ball, and even if he didn’t break the line, he brought a number of French defenders with him in every carry. Fantastic break down the left hand touchline, and was unlucky to not score with a couple of minutes to play.

12. Josua Tuisova – 6

Discipline was an issue early as he was penalised for a seatbelt tackle on Pierre-Louis Barassi. The 30-Test midfielder did his core jobs effectively, and threatened to break the line on a couple of occasions off first phase carries. Played the full 80 minutes, with ten carries on the night.

13. Kalaveti Ravouvou – 7.5

The Bristol Bears back ignited the Fijian comeback with a fantastic try in the first half, breaking through a couple of French defenders in and around the ruck. When Fiji were on attack, most of the time it was Ravouvou at the front and centre of it. Worked hard and tried hard to get his side back in the game.

14. Selestino Ravutaumada – 6.5

Ravutaumada was exceptional in the air, and was often used to get up and contest on kick offs. Received a yellow card for a high tackle when he was second man in a tackle, spending ten crucial minutes in the bin. As soon as he started to get into the game after the yellow card, Ravutaumada was causing French defenders all sorts of problems. The Racing 92 winger brushed off a couple of last ditch tackles to score on the stroke of halftime. Worked tirelessly in the second half, even without much reward in the context of the game.

15. Salesi Rayasi – 7

The former Hurricanes fullback started the evening encounter with a knock on. Rayasi’s left boot was used to clear on multiple occasions, getting Fiji up the field without any problems. Some nice touches on attack, including setting up Wainiqolo’s try with a basketball pass over the French defender. Had the most carries in the game with 15.