Zapping World Fifteen Rugby: Top 15 highest paid players

To begin, can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit more about yourself?

Let me introduce myself, Julian Volokuru, I am a former international player for the Fiji team (5 selections). I landed in 2006 in Paris to play with Racing Metro 92 until 2010. Then I toured France to play in several clubs such as Marseille or Nîmes.
Today, I represent the Fiji Rugby Union in Europe. There is a strong relationship between our island and France. We have also created an association called ”France Fiji Classic” where, for example, we play matches in France or abroad with former players in favor of different causes.

What is your role in the Fiji Rugby Union?

My role with the Federation is to check that everything is going as well as possible for the Fijian players who arrive in French clubs. The goal is to really ease the transition between the player and his club. My role is really to supervise them because they don’t have much knowledge of the professional world here. I also take care of preserving the relationship between Fiji and France concerning international matches such as tours or test matches.

Fiji, at the heart of solid development

Fiji RugbyCredit Photo – IconSport

Vern Cotter was elected head of the national team, what do you think of him?

We have an incredible staff that sets up a lot with Vern Cotter. He is a leading coach and highly appreciated by Fijians. He is a benchmark, he has already coached ASM Clermont, Montpellier Hérault Rugby and Scotland. His experience in France and Europe will allow us to aim ever higher.

The nations of the Pacific are in the midst of reconstruction with the new eligibility rules, are you in favor of these changes?

Listen, I personally think it’s a good thing, it will add competitiveness for the nations of the second tier. But concerning us and particularly Fiji, I find that this can disrupt the development program put in place by the Federation. I think we don’t need former players who played for other countries. Afterwards, for other countries like Tonga, it’s interesting. The Tongans are still unqualified and bringing home world-class players can bring a lot of experience to the squad. It will boost the team. But for us, Vern Cotter has a lot of choices, we have the guns.

The recent appearance of the Fijian Drua is therefore clearly in this perspective of wanting to compete with the great nations of rugby 15?

The basis of rugby in Fiji is the Sevens, it’s been like that for several decades, it’s our national sport, we practice it all year round. We really like playing in space, our qualities allow us to bring the ball to life. Coming back to France, it’s true that our players see something different when they arrive here, they adapt to the style of play at 15. All the players in our front 5 play in Europe, as we know, a match at 15 always starts by winning in front. This is also what French training brings us.

There is also the appearance of the Fiji Drua team in Super Rugby which allows us to improve our level at 15 with a team mainly made up of Fijian players. It’s always in line with that goal of improvement and it’s great to be able to play against the best teams in Super Rugby.

The 2023 World Cup in sight

Julian VulakoroCredit Photo – Julian Vulakoro

The Flying Fijians are constantly progressing with convincing results in recent years, what are the short and medium term objectives for the team?

The 2023 World Cup is fast approaching and we want to be ambitious and continue to improve in this last year of preparation. We have the ambition to permanently integrate the top 10 of the IRB ranking and reach at least the quarter-finals of the World Cup. We have a good generation of players, we can perform. I think this competition is going to be very interesting.

A player has been on the screen since the start of the season, Waisea Nayacalevu, it is obvious that the center and captain of the selection is a centerpiece of the team?

Since arriving in France, Waisea has had an extraordinary career and even more so this season. We can clearly see that even if the Stade Français is in difficulty, it still remains at the top level and it is thanks to him that the club is perhaps still in the TOP 14. He is a great player, he has evolved a lot. He gained a lot of experience to the point of becoming a very important player for the Fijian selection. It is players like him who will ensure the course during the World Cup for Fiji. As captain, he is listened to by the young people and will take on his role as a leader on and off the pitch. He is a person who is very listened to, he is one of those elders who guide the young people.

To conclude, why did you choose the city of Libourne as a base camp for your team during the 2023 World Cup?

Because there is good wine in Libourne (laughs). No more seriously, there are several Fijian communities here as in Mont-de-Marsan for Fijian rugby. It is a region that also has a history with our island.