Fiji have ‘no doubt’ that grieving hooker Sam Matavesi will be ready to face England

Adam Kyriacou 13 Oct 2023 2:48 PM

Fiji boss Simon Raiwalui is confident that hooker Sam Matavesi will be ready to play against England on Sunday, despite his father dying earlier this week.

Northampton Saints front-row Matavesi only arrived back in camp on Thursday after attending his father, Sireli’s, funeral in Cornwall as he paid his respects.

He has been named on the bench for Fiji‘s Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Marseille this weekend as the islanders look to seal a spot in the semi-finals.

Confident he will be OK

Fiji head coach Simon Raiwalui is confident his hooker is ready for the game after including him his starting side for the Stade de Marseille clash on Sunday.

“We had a setback during the week with Sam Matavesi‘s father passing away. He came back in this morning. He was adamant that he wanted to be here,” he said.

“He’s a fantastic young man, very good on his details, so there are no worries there. It’s just a matter of him grieving, but I have no doubt that he will be ready to play.”

Fiji, who beat England at Twickenham in a warm-up game, will have plenty of support from the neutrals this weekend as Raiwalui wants their run to continue.

“It’s massive for our country. We came to this tournament to succeed, we got through the first part and we want to continue,” he said ahead of the huge match.

“We are a nation of 900,000 people that lives and breathes rugby, and I don’t know how many Fijians worldwide.

“We had massive support from the French, from the people who come to the ground. We really want to enjoy the occasion and show our best rugby.”

Breaking down barriers

He added: “First and foremost I’m proud to be a Fijian but I’m also proud of the so-called developing nations, pushing for the global game, how we can improve it and get more opportunities, how we break that barrier down.

“This World Cup has been a fantastic example of other teams coming in and playing fantastic rugby and putting on a spectacle for the world. We are proud of where we come from and we want to embrace that.”

England