The whistle man
Fiji’s lone Rugby World cup referee
MANY rugby players have represented Fiji in the Rugby World Cup in the past, but so far there has been only one Fijian who had officiated at the perennial event. It was in 1991 in Europe.
This was the first RWC to be staged in the northern hemisphere, with England the hosts.
Fiji’s referee was Liakini Colati. He is now 71 years old.
Colati has a tale of how he travelled the world using his rugby talent as a whistle man.
“In the 1991 Rugby World Cup, there were 10 referees from Tier Two nations, but only three were given the privileges to be referees,” he recalled at his home at Salato Rd, Tamavua in Suva.
“I was fortunate to be one of them. The experience and exposure I came across has been fond memory that will be around even after I’m gone.
“I was lucky to be the referee on the match between Ireland and Japan. I received positive remarks from the assessors and I was even given a last-minute opportunity to officiate the match between Wales and Ireland under-21 team who were known back then as third grade teams.
“They were countered as important matches because they were the future stars of their nation’s rugby team.”
Apart from the Rugby World Cup, Colati also officiated at the 1995 Hong Kong 7s tournament and he was dubbed as one of the top referees in international rugby then.
Meanwhile, the 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France.
There were 32 matches played in the 1991 RWC, 16 nations participated and Australia turned out victorious at the end beating England in the final.
“The experience and exposure you get from the RWC is unique compared to the rest of the international competitions.
“We are capable of sending our local referees to the next Rugby World Cup but the secret is about your decision-making and how confident are you making that decision.
“You might experience foul and vulgar language from the crowd, but you must stand your ground and make sure you are aware of your running line so that you could see everything during the match,” he said.
Colati has toured the Pacific, Asia and the Europe countries just with his skills and talent as a referee and he has never regretted any of those expeiences. He is now retired, but follows the sport very closely.