Api Ratuniyarawa.

The Fiji Water Flying Fijians will miss the services of veteran lock Api Ratuniyarawa at this year’s Rugby World Cup in France.

The towering lock is the second senior player that’ll not be available for the World Cup after Peceli Yato removed himself from camp earlier this week.

French Top 14 club Bayonne announced on Thursday that Ratuniyarawa will be a World Cup cover for them.

Coach Simon Raiwalui says he had an emotional conversation with Ratuniyarawa.

”Api…obviously you know what happened to his club in the UK and sometimes you have to make a decision on what’s best for your family and my philosophy is always family first and whats best for your family and that’s the basis of who we are so he had to make a choice.”

Raiwalui says sometimes in life, you have to make a decision about what’s best for the family.

Last month Ratuniyarawa’s club London Irish was dissolved financially leaving around 100 players and staff jobless.

Raiwalui says Ratuniyarawa will leave the squad on August 1st.