'Maybe 10 percent of the players are earning what they're supposed to earn'
From his home in Seattle far in the northwest of America, Waisale Serevi watched Fiji’s joyous autumn conquering of France, his heart exploding with pride.
Against all the odds, battling a gross financial disparity, meagre preparation time, tackling a Tier One heavyweight on their own patch, his boys did it.
Theirs is a cruel dilemma. The Pacific Islands spawn the most incredible raw talent but haven’t the resources to harvest the gold on their doorstep or safeguard it from exploitation.
Serevi is probably Fiji’s most storied export, his exhilarating feats across two decades traversing the world as a sevens galactico etched into rugby lore.
“We’ve shown the world what can happen,” he says. “We’ve beaten France, it’s history for us and a stepping stone, even though France is not doing well in international rugby.
“It’s a platform for us to go to the World Cup knowing that we can win at that level if we stay to the structure, the discipline and the patience.
“Individually we are maybe a little bit better than some other players in the world. One-on-one a Fijian player can beat our opposition. Our forwards are faster and skilful; our backs are faster and stronger. But to be the best, you need to attack and defend as a team and have very good structure.
“The only thing that separates the best teams in the world is patience and discipline. The top teams are creating 15 phases to score tries or get three points. From my point of view, definitely, we need to play a lot of Tier One nations and compete on that level so that we can be competitive and had the opportunity.”
Many of Fiji’s current squad play their club rugby in Europe. In the earliest days of professionalism, Serevi spent time in Japan, at Leicester Tigers and with several teams in France. That stint at Welford Road was eye-opening, a window into the world of the burgeoning elite and the ferocity with which they went about their business.
“In the islands, you try and make fun at training – it’s not that serious until you go on to the field. In professional rugby, you need to be punctual, you eat together, live together as a team,” Serevi says.
“You have to train like you play. The training is very competitive. I played with all those great players – Neil Back, Martin Johnson, Will Greenwood, Joel Stransky, Austin Healey – all those guys compete.
“When we train and do attack-defence, sometimes there’s a big fight, especially when Austin Healey is there!
“When the island boys experience that professional set-up, they become a better rugby player and a better person. They know what is good and bad and when they go back to their country, they share it with their team.”
You can reel off a long list of Fiji-born professionals who have taken the opportunity to represent their adopted nations after serving three years of residency. Taqele Naiyaravoro, Henry Speight and Marika Koroibete are all Wallabies. Virimi Vakatawa and Noa Nakaitaci play for France, Nathan Hughes for England, Samuela Vunisa for Italy and Waisake Naholo, who moved to New Zealand in his late teens, is now a World Cup-winning All Black.
“No matter how we change the laws in international rugby, it comes down to financial gain for these lads,” Serevi says.
“The Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Rugby Unions definitely cannot look after the players. I support and congratulate them. There is an opportunity for them to support their families.
“The only thing that I ask for these teams, Australia, New Zealand, that have a lot of Pacific Islands players with them, the least they can do is try and support the island teams by playing Tests against them. That is the only way that we can gain from losing our players.
“A lot of our players are scattered all over the world, it is always difficult to bring people together. The boys came together like five days before losing to Scotland – playing a Test match in five days is really hard.
“I always watch our team celebrate winning against Tonga and Samoa. That is not the one. We need to go up and beat New Zealand, Australia, South Africa – then we celebrate.”
Serevi wants overseas clubs to manage their Pacific incomers carefully, be cognisant of their culture and the challenges of swapping island life for a western city. Generally, European teams are getting better at this, and the Pacific Rugby Players Welfare group put in a power of work to look after the vulnerable.
In Scotland, for instance, Viliame “Big Bill” Mata has emerged as one of the best number eights in the world, thanks in part to the way Edinburgh have helped him and his family adjust to the bustle, the climate and the way of life.
“They’re not paid a lot of money but these players are very good. They play better than people who get paid more than them. Maybe 10% of the players are earning what they’re supposed to earn,” Serevi believes.
“They play their hearts out, they play really good rugby, and they bring fans over to watch because of the way they play. These clubs must look after the players. Talk to them and ask questions and try and help them.
“The islanders are very good players but for us, saying no is difficult, even though we are facing difficulties. It’s like a cultural thing for us, the respect is always there.
“If they’re supposed to get something and they’re not getting it, they keep quiet. A lot of people ask the question, ‘are you ok?’ They always say, ‘yes, we are ok’.
“People at home are relying on them, the whole community is thinking they are getting millions of dollars and they are struggling even to support their families.”
Serevi lived that life and felt those pressures. Eventually, when he was sacked as Fiji Sevens head coach nearly a decade ago, they took their toll.
In a book published earlier this year that charts his rugby voyage, Serevi is depicted as penniless, depressed and addicted to alcohol. At the end of a wonderful career, the little maestro was on his knees. The book says his troubles stemmed from financial mismanagement, low wages during his playing days and his own generosity, sending money and barrow-loads of rugby kit back to his community, before a tax audit gobbled up what little he had saved.
“That one year that was my low time, I kept saying to myself, I did great things for 21 years at international level, this is just a test,” Serevi recalls.
“I need to get up and keep going and stay positive and try and support my family. At one stage, I was hearing thousands of people at the stadium cheering for me. And now, when I was at my low time, the thing that motivated me was my family – I can hear four voices, my wife and my three kids, cheering me and saying, you can do better, keep going. That kept motivating me and I thank god for the door that opened. We are blessed we are here.”
“The door that opened” came in the form of a trip to Canada, where Serevi had been asked to play for a Fijian invitational team. There, he would meet his business partner-to be, and with great help from those in Seattle rugby, was able to forge a new life coaching in America.
His company, now called Atavus Rugby, blossomed. He worked to introduce rugby-style tackling to the Seattle Seahawks, who won the 2013 Super Bowl and became renowned for their defensive menace.
Now, a new challenge beckons. Serevi is a sevens head coach again. He was placed in charge of Russia in October, his goal to lead them back to the World Series and into the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. In his first tournament at the helm, Russia finished fourth in the second-tier Dubai International Invitational event. Serevi wants to immerse himself in Russian life and scour the country for talent.
“With new things, new attacking and defensive structure, a lot of decision-making, I thought the boys did well,” Serevi says.
“I was excited and watching the video for the last couple of days and I know what we can get better at for the next tournaments in Uruguay and Chile in January.
“The players we have now are the players they already selected because they were short of time. I would love to go around and watch XVs rugby games, watch the Russian sevens tournament that is starting soon. I want to be out there scouting for talent because that’s what I am good at.
“As soon as I see players I know whether they can survive. That’s what I saw when we went to Dubai. Some players can perform at club sevens, the next level up is the invitational international sevens. Even in Dubai, I saw some that can’t go to the next level – they can’t even compete at this level.
“That’s the main reason I wanted to go out and hunt for untapped talent, so that we have good depth.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
45 Go to comments