Who’ll Replace Cotter?
New head coach to be announced at the end of the month
With seven months to go for the Rugby World Cup (RWC) in France, our Flying Fijians are without a head coach.
This was after Vern Cotter’s resignation was accepted by the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) yesterday. Cotter resigned with immediate effect due to personal reasons, he had taken up the role in January 2020.
Last November media reports had hinted interest by Scotland Rugby officials in trying to take back their former coach (Cotter) for the upcoming RWC, but nothing has been confirmed.
FRU board chairman Commodore Humphrey Tawake said they have begun the process to recruit a new head coach that would take the team to the RWC, which is from September 8 - October 28.
He said the new head coach would be announced at the end of this month.
With time constraints, Tawake indicated that having a local to be in charge is a possibility.
“That’s an option we have,” he said.
“But we’re looking across for the professionals who are available during this time to ensure that we have the right combination of coaching to deliver at the RWC. Our immediate priority now is the World Cup.”
It is understood that former Fijiana XVs head coach Senirusi Seruvakula and FRU general manager High Performance Simon Raiwalui are contenders for the coaching job - either as head coach or coaching staff.
Raiwalui represented Fiji at the 1999 RWC and was the Australian Wallabies forwards coach at the 2019 RWC in Japan.
“We are working behind the scenes to get the necessary coaching staff and the head coach as early as this month to take the team forward to France and then we will start from there for the following World Cup in 2027.”
Cotter’s exit also leaves uncertainty surrounding other New Zealand assistant coaches, Daryl Gibson and Glen Jackson.
Tawake added some local coaches could be part of the new head coach’s coaching staff, which could include Seruvakula.
“It will be unfair of FRU not to consider Senirusi, it is a process that we are going through. We must understand that it’s not only FRU as we have other stakeholders like World Rugby, DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) and other stakeholders.”
Humphrey also highlighted that Fiji’s RWC pool opponents Australia and Wales recently changed their head coaches.
This is nothing new to Fiji Rugby, as they had faced a similar situation, six months away from the 2007 RWC when then head coach, Wayne Pivac, resigned. He was replaced by Ilivasi Tabua who took the national side to the quarterfinal after they shocked the rugby world with a 3834 win over Wales. Tabua, the Human Skewer is a former Wallabies No.8 at the 1995 RWC, he is currently in the country.
“We must consider someone who will be able to meet those criteria’s as we move forward.
“Our aim is to localise most of the coaching staff, moving forward we might have a mix and provide that mentoring going into the World Cup and we will have a definite coach to take us to the 2027 RWC– not only in the men’s team but women’s as well. FRU will consider advertising the post given the short time,” Tawake said.
“Advertising is something that we will have to consider going into the RWC– we have to make some drastic decisions but of course it will be advertised. If the time is so short, we will put these coaches in on acting capacity before we finalise things – those are options that we have. It will be a timely process but time is not on our hands.”
FRU acknowledged Cotter for his services and wished him well in his future career.
Meanwhile, former Flying Fijians head coach Inoke Male was appointed interim head coach for the Fijiana Drua team who are now in camp in preparation for the 2023 SuperW.