The electric Fijian Under-18 scrum-half who's turning heads
The Fijian U20 side may still be revelling in their success at the recent World Rugby U20 Trophy in Romania, but attention is already turning to their return to the U20 Championship in 2019.
It will be their first time back in the top tier competition since they were relegated in 2014 and the level of competition has only increased since then, with the likes of Argentina, Georgia and even Japan – who were relegated this year and will take Fiji’s place in the Trophy – showing improved performances, depth and level of ability.
Fiji will be without some of their key men from this year, such as Vilimoni Botitu and Viliami Rokobuli, as well as both starting props from the final, Immanuel Naciva and Apakuki Naivanawalu, all of whom will have graduated from the U20s by 2019 and be eyeing up spots in the ARC’s Fijian Drua side or representative action with Fiji Warriors.
Thankfully, Fiji will be able to call on the talents of a number of players from the Ratu Kadavulevu School, who not only won the Powerade Super Deans Rugby Championship in Fiji this year, but were also crowned Sanix World Rugby Champions, when they beat New Zealand’s Hastings Boys’ High School, 35-5, in the final in Fukuoka.
Headlining that group of players emerging from RKS is Jone Vatuwaliwali.
Fijian rugby is no stranger to producing dynamic and effective scrum-halves and it seems as if Vatuwaliwali is the next off the production line.
He possesses all of the electric footwork and audacious offloading that people would expect from a Fijian nine, but it is balanced by an experienced head on young shoulders, with Vatuwaliwali not looking dissimilar to a French scrum-half with the amount of control he influences on the game and the leadership role he takes in the back line.
He also kicks accurately at goal, as many French nines do, and can pass proficiently off both hands, something which the Fiji Times described as the area of his game that had particularly improved from this point last year.
He is not alone in bringing plenty of talent to the Fijian U20 pool from RKS, with fly-half Sireli Maqala also impressing and offering the potential of an all-RKS half-back pairing, although current Fiji U20 fly-half Caleb Muntz does have another year of eligibility yet to play. The other RKS standouts included openside flanker Ilikimi Torosi and wings Osea Natoga and Apolosi Nawai.
This will not be the first time that RKS has produced players of high quality, with Seru Rabeni, Noa Nakaitaci and Sitiveni Sivivatu among their more notable graduates.
Comments on RugbyPass
Except for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to comments