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Vatemo Ravouvou: 'Hong Kong is like a home ground in Fiji’
By Liam Heagney
Vatemo Ravouvou is thrilled that Fiji are back in Hong Kong this week, but the new skipper sidestepped commenting on his team’s change of head coach since their last outing on the HSBC SVNS circuit.
The Fijians currently stand third overall in the 12-team 2023/24 series heading into the sixth leg in the Far East, but the quarter-final loss to Spain in Los Angeles at the start of March spelled the end of Ben Gollings’ time in charge.
They also haven’t won a leg on the series in 19 attempts and the Fijian authorities decided to quickly act, bringing in ex-skipper Osea Kolinisau and recalling Gareth Baber, the coach who led them to a silver medal finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
This was followed by this week’s decision to nominate Ravouvou as their captain and it led to the unusual dynamic of Fiji being at Hong Kong Stadium for training and a pre-tournament photocall while the ousted Gollings was just a little over a kilometre away taking charge of Nemani Nadolo’s Ashbury Tropics at the Hong Kong 10s.
“We hope to finish the season good,” said Ravouvou to RugbyPass, preferring not to address having Baber back at the helm in place of Gollings. What he was way more willing to embrace was the Fijian history with Hong Kong.
Their record is enviable, five title wins in succession before the pandemic scuppered the 2020 edition and seven wins in eight going back to 2012. “It’s a memorable one,” Ravouvou beamed about Hong Kong. “There are good memories here. It’s good to be here, and excited. Winning all those years in a row, the best bit was playing as a team.”
In total, Fiji have been crowned champions on 19 occasions and been finalists 30 times – including the last two years where they were beaten by New Zealand in the decider. Safe to say they love it out here.
“Hong Kong is like a home ground in Fiji,” enthused Ravouvou. “Because of the weather, Hong Kong is a Fijian home ground and the fans like our players, our offloads, our game, the style of game we play.”
Fiji open their pool on Friday with a game against Micheal Hooper’s Australia. They also play Canada later that same day before completing their three-game group on Saturday versus an Antoine Dupont-less France, who won the last leg of the series in the USA.
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Latest Comments
But he chose rightly or wrongly to play for Tonga. If he wanted to play for the ABs why didn’t he hold off?
Go to comments“A succession of recent ex-players going straight back into the game as coaches in their early 40’s would prob be enough to kill it stone-dead. Innovation would die a death.”
Would it? I do think one of the major differences between rugby and most other sports - which we’ve been overlooking - is the degree to which players are expected to lead team meetings & analysis sessions and the like. Someone like Owen Farrell has basically been an assistant coach already for ten years - and he’s been so under a variety of different head coaches with different expectations and playing styles.
“The most interesting ppl I have met in the game have all coached well into their sixties and they value the time and opportunity they have had to reflect and therefore innovate in the game. That’s based on their ability to compare and contrast between multiple eras.”
I don’t doubt that that’s true. But having interesting insights doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be the best able to inspire a team, or the best at managing the backroom staff.
“Wayne Smith winning the WWC in his mid sixties three years ago prob means nothing to you but it meant a lot to him. It took him back to the roots of is own coaching journey.”
I don’t doubt that! But I don’t think coaches should be hired on the basis that it means a lot to them.
“The likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Wayne Bennett and Andy Reid all have a tale to tell. You should open your ears and listen to it!”
I agree! Never have I ever suggested otherwise!
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