Simon Raiwalui Joins World Rugby As High Performance Pathways and Player Development Manager

World Rugby confirmed the appointment of former Fiji Men’s Coach Simon Raiwalui as High-Performance Pathways and Player Development Manager at the governing body.

In a statement, World Rugby said Raiwalui’s position is in line with the federation’s central mission of growing the global game. He will support Director of High-Performance Peter Horne to assist performance and emerging unions in identifying, developing and fast track player development initiatives as well as supporting other HP rugby projects.

Raiwalui said: “World Rugby is passionate about growing our sport, increasing opportunity and certainty for more unions to breakthrough. Underpinning all of this is player and competition pathways, something that I am passionate about and I look forward to contributing to what promises to be an exciting and challenging journey, ultimately increasing the competitiveness and impact of international rugby.”

Photo Credit: World Rugby – Simon Raiwalui Joins World Rugby As High-Performance Pathways and Player Development Manager

Raiwalui is a former Fiji, Sale, Newport, Saracens and Racing 92 player, who twice coached the Fiji men’s team. He led them to a first Rugby World Cup quarter-final France 2023, and was integral in the establishment of the Fijian Drua Super Rugby Pacific franchise as well as assisting the Fijiana to their first women’s Rugby World Cup in 2022.

He stepped down from his role as the Fijian coach after the RWC 2023.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin added: “Simon joins the team at an exciting and pivotal time for the game with expanded men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups the pinnacle of major calendar reform, providing unprecedented certainty and opportunity for performance nations.

Director of High-Performance Peter Horne added that the new global calendar certainly gives his team “an exciting new mandate to work with teams over a longer period of time to prepare them for not just World Cups, but new competition structures.” He added that Raiwalui “is perfectly placed to help us drive forward in partnership with unions to build a more competitive game on the road to Rugby World Cups in the USA. We are excited to be working with him.”

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