Meli Laddpeter 
Simon Raiwalui [File Photo]
Former Flying Fijians head coach Simon Raiwalui has been appointed as assistant head coach for the inaugural First Nations & Pasifika Invitational XV, set to face the British and Irish Lions at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne this July.
Raiwalui joins a high-profile coaching panel led by head coach Toutai Kefu, the former Wallabies forward and Tonga head coach.
Also on the coaching team are All Blacks legend and Moana Pasifika mentor Fa’alogo Tana Umaga, and former Wallabies and Blue Sharks prop Sekope Kepu.
Raiwalui made headlines in 2023 when he guided the Flying Fijians to the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup in France.
Following his departure from the Fiji Rugby Union later that year, he joined World Rugby as the High Performance Pathways and Player Development Manager.
In June 2024, Raiwalui took on a new role as Director of Performance with the New South Wales Waratahs, marking his first official position within a Super Rugby franchise.
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