Waisale Serevi Appointed Rugby India Sevens Head Coach

Legendary Rugby Sevens player Waisale Serevi was appointed as head coach of India’s Rugby 7s team for both men and women in June 2024, joining a growing list of international coaching talent in Asia.

The former Fijian rugby star was inducted into the Hall of Fame by World Rugby and has enjoyed a memorable career as a player but has spent recent decades in a coaching capacity, especially in the US, and serving as an HSBC Rugby Sevens Ambassador on the SVNS circuit. He has also worked across rugby in Russia and Jamaica.

Following his appointment at the 11th Senior National Rugby 7s Championship in India, Serevi said, “”It is an honour and privilege for me to be part of the Rugby family in India, I am grateful and I thank god for the opportunity. From Japan, England, France, the USA, I have now made my way to India. 14 years ago, Rugby was relatively unknown in the USA, I’ve done a lot of work there. India today is at a similar crossroads. India and Fiji hold a close relationship. It gives me great pride to be a Fijian coming to India, to help them take Rugby to the next level.”

He added on his own social media,” I’m so excited and looking forward to giving a hand to help India to the next level in Asia Rugby. 14 years in the USA and helped grow the sport & build rugby in Seattle to where it is now, and now to my 63rd country in the world – India.”

Photo Credit: Rugby India

He told the Time of India, “For me, normally I don’t follow rugby on this side of the world, in Asia. But I’ve seen teams playing on this side of the world.” He added that part of his role is to raise awareness of the sport in the most populous country in the world.

“A lot of people in the world, are surprised that I’m in India. But like I said, I’m so excited given this opportunity of trying to help, give a hand to the country that needs help, the rugby India program.” Part of his role will be to focus on identifying and nurturing new talent in India.

Indian Rugby Football Union (Rugby India) already operates a High-Performance Centre and its national team players are treated nearly as semi-pro, with the Union revitalised recently with several changes and new ambitions under President Rahul Bose.

Bose said at the time of Serevi’s appointment, “The core impetus for all of us at Rugby India is to do better today than we did yesterday. To go one step farther every day in our quest to compete with the world’s best.”

Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy 2024

The Rugby India Men’s and Women’s Sevens teams don’t compete in the top tier of Asian Rugby but are in the second tier which is the Asia Rugby Trophy Series. This will be played in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2024 from October 5-6 and features 12 men’s teams and 8 women’s teams.

This will be their first internationals of 2024 and the Dasarath Rangasala Stadium offers the winners the chance to be promoted to the Asia Rugby Sevens Series in 2025.

Coaching Talent in Asia

Already coaching national teams in Asia (never mind the number of top coaches in the JRLO), are among others:

• Former Springbok Naas Botha at the Rugby India Men’s XV team.
• Former international Paul John, Jevon Groves, and Andy Vilk at Hong Kong China Sevens Rugby.
• Sir Gordon Tietjens and Rocky Khan at China Women’s 7s Rugby.
• Former internationals at Japan Sevens Rugby are Simon Amor (Men’s Coach) and Takashi Suzuki (Women’s coach)
• Eddie Jones and Victor Matfield (Brave Blossoms), and Lesley Mckenzie (Sakura XV Head Coach).
• Former Japan 7s player Yohei Shinomiya (Thailand Women’s 7s coach).
• Former SA Sevens player Fabian Juries with Kazakhstan.

Indian Rugby News

• Rugby India U18s and Path to Professionalism.
• Capgemini Signs on as Rugby India Sevens Sponsor.
• Professional Rugby Premier League (RPL) In India Set For 2024 Launch.