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The selection of the Flying Fijians PNC 2025 squad announcement by head coach Mick Byrne sees several stars return to the national team who missed out on duty for the matches against Australia and Scotland, but the side is heavily stacked with Drua talent.
Among those included in the PNC squad are centre Semi Radradra, who has signed on to play in Japan’s JRLO with the Shizuoka BlueRevs this coming season, former All Black and back Seta Tamanivalu will make his first appearance for Fiji since 2022, and number eight Bill Mata (Bristol Bears).
Seta Tamanivalu has been in Japan’s JRLO for the past two seasons with Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, who are back-to-back champions and playing alongside the likes of Richie Mo’anga and Shannon Frizell. He scored 9 tries in their recent title-winning campaign.
Drua Development player Kavaia Tagivetaua is also in the Flying Fijians squad, having previously been named in the July Test extended squad but he is yet to make his debut.
The Drua dominated selection with as many as 24 of the 30 squad coming from the Super Rugby Pacific side.
The pack includes mostly Drua players such as Eroni Mawi, Haereti Hetet, Mesake Doge, Tevita Ikanivere, Kavaia Tagivetaua and Motikiai Murray, but are joined by Bill Mata and Kitione Salawa. The same tight five as the July matches are selected, which should give them some consistency and cohesion. There is only one blindside specialist in Etonia Waqa (uncapped).
Among the backs, the Drua contingent includes Philip Baselala, Simione Kuruvoli, Kemu Valetini, Kalaveti Ravouvou, Taniela Rakuro, and Isaiah Armstrong Ravula, as well as Japan-based Semi Radradra and Setareki Tamanivalu.
Kemu Valetini is likely the backup fly-half to Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula. Radradra, Tamanivalu and Ravouvou offer Byrne some talented and powerful midfield selections.
There are potential debutants in Taniela Rakuro, Tuidraki Samusamuvodre (wing), Isoa Tuwai (loose forward), and Etonia Waqa.
Taniela Rakuro played in the Super Rugby Pacific last season and scored five tries in the NPC where he plays for Taranaki. He also scored 7 tries in two trial games.
Tuidraki Samusamuvodre has been with the Drua from the start but made his professional debut in the MLR with the New England Free Jacks.
Etonia Waqa has been praised for his leadership attributes and has recovered from a knee injury.
Isoa Tuwai has eight Super Rugby Pacific caps with the Drua.
Byrne said of the squad’s balance: “When bringing young players into a tournament, you need experienced leaders around them to guide their development. Having world-class players like Bill Mata, Semi Radradra, and Seta Tamanivalu creates the perfect environment for these rising talents.
Even someone like Kitione Salawa, who has been in the setup for a few years, is still refining his game at this level. The key is ensuring these young players learn what it takes to perform at the elite level every single day.”
Byrne says it has been important to blend youth and experience as the seasoned internationals will deliver on-field impact and offer guidance to the younger players.
“The balance of bringing in young players into a tournament is that you need to have experience and good players around them to help them as well and guide them through…Most coaches understand that it’s great to blood young players, but the real benefit is having experienced players around them to guide them in their day-to-day preparation.”
The Head Coach said of areas for improvement going into the six-team competition, which they won last year, “We need to revisit our systems from the July Tests. Our set piece improved as the series progressed, and we’ll continue building in that area. Breakdown work and ball retention will be key focuses. Defensively, we’ve made significant strides compared to last year, but we must be more clinical in finishing opportunities when we’re in attacking positions.”
He added, “I think our finishing and controlling the ball when we’re in attacking areas of the field, if we can, if we can, do a better job in that area, I think that will help us.”
Among those who have backed the potential debutants is former Super Rugby player and referee, Swire Shipping Fijian Drua head coach Glen Jackson, as 24 of the 30-man squad are from the Drua franchise.
The team is without several France-based players who have pre-season commitments, such as Jiuta Wainiqolo (Lyon), who did play in July, Salesi Rayasi (Bordeaux Bègles), and Josua Tuisova (Racing 92).
The Fijians will open their 2025 Pacific Nations Cup campaign on August 30th against Tonga at the HFC Bank stadium in Suva, and they then head to Samoa for the second round on September 6.
