Fiji announces the replacement of World Cup hero Simon Raiwalui will be an ex-All Blacks coach.
The Flying Fijians’ head coach, Simon Raiwalui, will be replaced with a former All Blacks coach, according to a statement released by the Fijian Rugby Union. From 2005 to 2015, Mick Byrne served as the All Blacks’ skills coach. From 2016 until 2020, he did the same for Australia.He was appointed head coach of the Fijian Drua in 2021, and he now leads the Test team following a prosperous tenure in Super Rugby Pacific.
The new head coach of Fiji, Following a “long and rigorous selection and negotiation process,” the Fijian Rugby Union confirmed the appointment on Tuesday. Since then, Byrne has been granted a long-term work permit. “Fiji Rugby is delighted to have a coach of Mick’s calibre who was part of three Rugby World Cup-winning teams,” the statement continued. The success and advancement of the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua attest to Mick’s profound knowledge and affection for Fijian rugby.
“With the blessings of the Drua management, Mick joins Fiji Rugby and will oversee the FIJI Water Flying Fijians’ preparations for the Barbarians, All Blacks Test, July Tests, and the end-of-year European tour. He will play with the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua for the remainder of this Super Rugby Pacific season.”
Stars in the Champions Cup, Peter O’Mahony’s signing, and instability in Super Rugby Pacific—again—show who’s hot and who’s not. Byrne takes over for former head coach Raiwalui, who took over the national squad in 2023 when Vern Cotter resigned prior to the Rugby World Cup.
During the World Cup pool stages, Raiwalui led Fiji to wins over Australia and Georgia but defeats against Wales and Portugal. But that was sufficient to guarantee Fiji a place in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals, their third overall and first play-off encounter since 2007. In the quarterfinal match against England, Fiji overcame a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 24-24, but ultimately lost 30-24. Raiwalui received a nomination for World Rugby Coach of the Year for his efforts; Andy Farrell emerged victorious.
The All Blacks’ World Cup-winning coaches get back together as Ian Foster announces his future. World Rugby had a role in the appointment of Mick Byrne. As the manager of player development and high performance pathways for World Rugby, Raiwalui was involved in choosing Byrne and the head coach of Fiji.
“It was decided that it is in the best interests of Fiji Rugby that Mick Byrne be the head coach of the FIJI Water Flying Fijians in a meeting convened in Suva between World Rugby representatives Nigel Cass and Simon Raiwalui, Hon Siromi Turaga as Minister for Justice, Hon Jese Saukuru as Minister for Youth and Sports, and Fiji Rugby represented by the Board of Trustees and ONOC representative Cathy Wong,” the Fijian Rugby Union statement continued.
“World Rugby emphasized that Fiji is in a strong position to compete in the Nations Championship from 2026 to 2030 as a result of the FIJI Water Flying Fijians’ performance and rating at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
If the best qualified and experienced coaches are not appointed to Fiji’s high-performance national teams, it will be detrimental to Fiji’s participation in the Nations Championship, the 2024 Olympics, the Super Rugby Pacific, the 2027 Rugby World Cup, and the remainder of the HSBC SVNS Series in Singapore and beyond. With his experience coaching at the Test level with Scotland, Japan, the Wallabies, and the All Blacks, Byrne adds a lot of international knowledge to the position.