Sisa Koyamaibole
Encyclopedia
Sisaro Dautu Koyamaibole (born 6 March 1980, in Suva
) is a Fiji
an rugby union
player. His usual position is number eight. Koyamaibole has been capped 38 times by| Fiji
, including playing in the 2003
and 2007 Rugby World Cup
s, and has played for the country in rugby sevens
tournaments. At club level, he has represented Taranaki, Petrarca Padova, Toulon
, Sale Sharks
, and currently plays for Lyon OU
.
, then coach of Fiji.
out of the tournament by winning 38–34, and played in Fiji's first quarter-final at a World Cup since 1987. Although they lost 37–20 to eventual winners, South Africa
, Fiji received a standing ovation from the crowd despite South African player Jaque Fourie
commenting before the match that Fiji did not deserve the respect of the Springboks. Koyamaibole played five matches in the tournament, playing at number eight on four occasions.
. He was one of several players signed by the club as the club prepared for a season in the Top 14 – the top level of the national league system of France – having secured promotion the previous season. The club struggled to avoid relegation for most of the season, although managed to stay in the top flight of French rugby. Koyamaibole left the club at the end of the season and was offered a contract with English club Sale Sharks
. Kingsley Jones, Sale's director of rugby, described Koyamaibole as "a gifted athlete who is very mobile around the field" with "excellent discipline". He was one of several players signed by Sale in the off-season after the departure of Philippe Saint-André
as director of rugby and several players. Jones requested that Koyamaibole try to lose nearly 3 stone to slim down to the weight of 18.5 stone, as he was at the 2007 World Cup. Koyamaibole commented that Sale was different to the clubs he had previously been a part of, with a focus on professionalism and fitness. It is possible that commitments to Sale will conflict with international duties, but he has stated that "if I can be released by the club then I'll be more than happy to play for Fiji".
Koyamaibole made his debut for Sale on 4 September 2009, dominating the scrum with fellow Sale-debutant Jack Forster
. The match, which was the opening game of the 2009–10 Guinness Premiership
, was won by Sale who defeated Leicester Tigers
, the defending champions, 15–12.
Often thought of as a limited rugby player with little football intelligence, Koyamaibole had a good start to his Sale career, his strong carrying is a joy to behold, although he can often get isolated and turned over.
Koyamaibole was given a two-week ban starting on 26 January 2011, for kicking Saracens' Richard Wigglesworth during Sale's 28–22 victory over the club earlier in the month.
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
) is a Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
an rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player. His usual position is number eight. Koyamaibole has been capped 38 times by| Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
, including playing in the 2003
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
and 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
s, and has played for the country in rugby sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
tournaments. At club level, he has represented Taranaki, Petrarca Padova, Toulon
RC Toulonnais
RC Toulonnais is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
, and currently plays for Lyon OU
Lyon OU
Lyon Olympique Universitaire or LOU is a French rugby union team that competes in the Top 14, the first level of the country's professional league system. They earned their spot in the Top 14 by winning the 2010–11 title of the second-tier Pro D2....
.
Career
Koyamaibole began his international career in 2001 against Samoa playing at Lock. Koyamaibole was one of the few local Fijian club players to be selected for the 2003 World Cup. In 2004 Koyamaibole moved to Number 8 where he also played for the Pacific Islanders team. After showing impressive form for the Pacific Islanders that year, Koyamaibole was given a contract with New Zealand club Counties Manakau. A year later he moved into the first division playing for Taranaki, but missed most of the season due to injury and then a long suspension. He played every test for Fiji between 2001 and 2004, between 2005 and 2007, Koyamaibole did not play any Tests for Fiji. This was reportedly due to a falling out with Wayne PivacWayne Pivac
Wayne Pivac is a professional rugby union coach. He is a former Northland and Auckland coach, and also a former policeman. Pivac coached Northland to NPC Second Division success in 1997 and earned them promotion to First Division the following year....
, then coach of Fiji.
2007 World Cup
When Fiji announced their 30-man squad for the 2007 World Cup, Koyamaibole was one of the most experienced members, one of only four players to had more than 30 caps at the time. Koyamaibole was part of the Fiji team that knocked WalesWales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
out of the tournament by winning 38–34, and played in Fiji's first quarter-final at a World Cup since 1987. Although they lost 37–20 to eventual winners, South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
, Fiji received a standing ovation from the crowd despite South African player Jaque Fourie
Jaque Fourie
Jaque Fourie is a South African rugby union footballer. He is a versatile backline player whose usual position is in the centres...
commenting before the match that Fiji did not deserve the respect of the Springboks. Koyamaibole played five matches in the tournament, playing at number eight on four occasions.
Toulon
It was announced in June 2008 that Koyamaibole would join French club RC ToulonnaisRC Toulonnais
RC Toulonnais is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
. He was one of several players signed by the club as the club prepared for a season in the Top 14 – the top level of the national league system of France – having secured promotion the previous season. The club struggled to avoid relegation for most of the season, although managed to stay in the top flight of French rugby. Koyamaibole left the club at the end of the season and was offered a contract with English club Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
Sale Sharks
In May 2009 it was announced that Koyamaibole had signed a two-year contract for Guinness Premiership side Sale SharksSale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
. Kingsley Jones, Sale's director of rugby, described Koyamaibole as "a gifted athlete who is very mobile around the field" with "excellent discipline". He was one of several players signed by Sale in the off-season after the departure of Philippe Saint-André
Philippe Saint-André
Philippe Georges Saint-André is a former French rugby union footballer who earned 69 test caps for France between 1990 and 1997, 34 of them as captain. His preferred position was wing but he could also play at Fullback. After retiring, Saint-André found success as a rugby coach in both England and...
as director of rugby and several players. Jones requested that Koyamaibole try to lose nearly 3 stone to slim down to the weight of 18.5 stone, as he was at the 2007 World Cup. Koyamaibole commented that Sale was different to the clubs he had previously been a part of, with a focus on professionalism and fitness. It is possible that commitments to Sale will conflict with international duties, but he has stated that "if I can be released by the club then I'll be more than happy to play for Fiji".
Koyamaibole made his debut for Sale on 4 September 2009, dominating the scrum with fellow Sale-debutant Jack Forster
Jack Forster
Jack Forster is a rugby union player for Sale Sharks in the Aviva Premiership. He usually plays at prop....
. The match, which was the opening game of the 2009–10 Guinness Premiership
2009–10 Guinness Premiership
The 2009–10 Guinness Premiership was the 23rd season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions, played between September 2009 and May 2010...
, was won by Sale who defeated Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
, the defending champions, 15–12.
Often thought of as a limited rugby player with little football intelligence, Koyamaibole had a good start to his Sale career, his strong carrying is a joy to behold, although he can often get isolated and turned over.
Koyamaibole was given a two-week ban starting on 26 January 2011, for kicking Saracens' Richard Wigglesworth during Sale's 28–22 victory over the club earlier in the month.