Raiwalui new Wallabies forwards coach after long tenure abroad
A GIANT former Sydney club rugby rival of Michael Cheika has been named as the Wallabies’ new forwards coach. Ex-Manly and Fijian Test lock Simon Raiwalui will replace Mario Ledesma.
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A GIANT former Sydney club rugby rival of Michael Cheika has been named as the Wallabies’ new forwards coach.
Ex-Manly and Fijian Test lock Simon Raiwalui was a “very clear” choice to replace Mario Ledesma, according to Cheika, and will join the team ahead of the June Test series.
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The 43-year-old, who was raised in Australia and played for the Aussie schoolboys in 1993 alongside Joe Roff and Ben Tune, has spent the past two decades abroad as a player and coach.
Raiwalui made the Australian schoolboys from Kogarah Marist and played several seasons with the Marlins in the Shute Shield.
In 1997, Raiwalui went to England to play for Sale, and later had stints for Newport, Saracens and Racing Metro. The big lock also played 39 Tests for Fiji, including at the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
Moving into coaching after retiring, Raiwalui has since been forwards coach at three French clubs since 2012; Stade Francais, Racing Metro and his current club Biarritz.
“We had a quality group of candidates for this role from Super Rugby, international Rugby as well as French and English Rugby. Australians and foreigners,” Cheika said in a statement.
“We had the luxury of taking our time to ensure we had a lot of detail in our selection process and the final choice of Simon was very clear for us.
“His quality of character, along with his technical detail and passion for Australia was a mix that proved a very potent argument for his selection.
“He was a very hard, tough & no-nonsense player from the Manly club, who has gained invaluable playing and coaching experiences in Europe.”
Raiwalui said the chance to come home and work with the Wallabies was “too good to pass up”.
“I’m very excited to move back to Australia,” he said in a statement.
“I’ve learned so much about the game in the Northern Hemisphere and I think it’s been crucial for me as a forwards coach. There’s so much focus on that side of the game in Europe so I hope I can bring home some of those learnings to Australian rugby.”