Players must be physically fit and healthy if they want to represent the Flying Fijians, national men’s head coach Jake White has warned.
“It’s very difficult to compare a person who’s playing 80 minutes at La Rochelle versus a club guy who isn’t playing much, and then the stats are always in favour of the overseas guy,” White said.
“What I’ll do is work hard with the conditioning coaches to see how the player looks after himself and manages himself between now and when we get together in June next year.
“Basically, it doesn’t matter which club you’ve played at. It doesn’t matter how many minutes you’ve played. It doesn’t matter what your reputation is. I want to make sure that by June, everyone arrives here fit and healthy.”
White said Fiji needed to select the best players available.
“It’s the best 33 players that will be going to the World Cup, and we need to find that best 33 players by the time we get on the aeroplane.”
He said Fiji needed to stabilise after its Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) campaign before building squad depth next year and preparing to compete at the World Cup with the best players available from Europe.
“My first priority is to build up a stabilising job now because we weren’t good in the PNC in the middle of the year,” White said.
The 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning coach said he would relocate to Fiji to spend time with the Fijian Drua, watch club rugby and work with the Under-18 and Under-20 coaches to identify emerging talent.
White also stressed the importance of restoring confidence, noting Fiji’s strong performance two years ago and its victory over Australia at the last World Cup.
He said improving the scrum and lineout would be crucial to giving Fiji a stronger platform against top opposition.
“If our lineout and our scrum are strong enough, we just get the ball and then we can beat anybody,” White said.
Fiji Rugby Union chairman John Sanday echoed similar sentiments, stressing that players should earn their selection rather than simply make up the numbers.
“We want people to earn it and not just to wear the jersey for the sake of satisfying their own things.
“I’m quite passionate about that and I want to set that standard very clear. We are here for business and we want to make it into the semi-final of the World Cup and even win the World Cup. So it’s all serious stuff,” he added.
Meanwhile, newly appointed Flying Fijians head coach Jake White is well aware of the challenges facing Fiji Rugby.
This includes limited resources, operating on a shoestring budget and the difficulty of assembling overseas-based players for Test matches, when the team is often at the mercy of their clubs.
Speaking to SUNsports, White acknowledged that Fiji did not have the same resources as South Africa but said he was ready to work within the available budget and structures.
“Well, let’s be fair, this is not South Africa and I’ve been very privileged to coach South Africa,” he said.
“I understand that and part of my interview with the board was exactly on that. It’s not South Africa but there are a lot of things that are in favour of Fiji as well.”
White, who coached the Springboks to victory at the 2007 Rugby World Cup (RWC), believes the Flying Fijians can raise their standards by maximising their strengths as they prepare for next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.
The Flying Fijians are in Pool C alongside Argentina, Spain and Canada.
White said the extended preparation period before the RWC would be crucial to improving the team’s performance.
He said the high-performance department would work with 50 to 60 players as they compete for places in the World Cup squad. White also indicated that he would raise the bar for selection.
“I want to make it difficult (players) to play for Fiji. I want to make it difficult for them (players) to get into the team,” the 62-year-old said.
White said competition for places would be vital, particularly with Fiji having several quality players capable of filling the same positions.
He acknowledged the frustration of not having the country’s best players together for every Test match but said the priority was to identify the right players and prepare them for the World Cup.
“But when we get to June next year and we have an extended time together with our best players here. They are to get conditioned and have time together to go through the details that we need to win the World Cup.”
White said his immediate task was to identify the players needed to build a competitive Flying Fijians squad.
“I think what’s important of all, we need to get the best team to Australia next year. We need to find out who’s eligible, who’s available, who’s injury-free. It’s going to be a bit of management going forward.
“We’ve got 353 days between now and the World Cup. So there’s not much time left and we’ve got to try and get as much unity and togetherness as we can. There’s no grey area to that. You’re either in or you’re out.”
Today, White will travel to the West to meet with the current Flying Fijians coaching panel and decide on the final squad selection for the Japan Test on October 24, followed by the Nations Championship.
The Flying Fijians will face France in Lyon on November 7, Ireland in Dublin on November 14 and Italy in Udine on November 21.
White also indicated that he was looking to bring in a lineout coach.
