Waisale Serevi
Encyclopedia
Waisale Tikoisolomoni Serevi (born 20 May 1968 in Suva
, Fiji
) is a former Fijian rugby union
footballer, and coach. Although he played fifteen-a-side rugby throughout his playing career, Serevi is most notable for his achievements in rugby sevens
.
In the 15-man game, he played for Fiji
39 times between 1989 and 2003, and scored 376 points. This included representing Fiji in the 1991
, 1999
, and 2003 Rugby World Cup
s. He has also played professionally for the Mitsubishi
, Leicester
, Stade Montois
, Stade Bordelais
and Staines rugby teams.
His representative sevens career started in 1989 when he played for Fiji
at the Hong Kong
tournament. With the exception of 2001, 2003 and 2004 he has played at Hong Kong every year since. Serevi has also played in the 1993
, 1997
, 2001
, and 2005
Rugby World Cup Sevens
, winning the World Cup with Fiji in 1997 and 2005. He won silver at the Commonwealth Games
in 1998
and 2002
, and captured bronze in 2006
. Serevi has played in the International Rugby Board
Sevens Series
since its creation in 1999. In 2005 after winning the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens
Serevi was appointed the Fiji Sevens team's coach. He coached Fiji to the 2005/2006 IRB Sevens Series
victory – the first time the series was not won by New Zealand
.
on 20 May 1968. He was raised by staunch Christian parents who were both heavily involved in the Church. Serevi's inspiration to play rugby stemmed from his childhood, when Fiji defeated the British Lions
in 1977. He missed watching the match, and decided to take up rugby after seeing how happy the victory made the people of Fiji.
His family moved twice when he was a child; the second time settling in Suva
where Serevi started secondary school. There he attended Lelean Memorial School. His schooling was unsuccessful however, and he failed his Fiji Junior Certificate Examination (tenth year) in 1984. Serevi's blamed his love for rugby, saying he "played too much and didn't spend enough time studying."
After failing his examinations Serevi quit school and continued to play for his local club Rewa. Although he trained with the team, he was omitted from playing as the coach, Jo Rauto, thought he was too small and would get hurt. He was eventually selected to play for the senior provincial side when he was 17. Several months later he was asked to join the Nabua Rugby Club (under the guidance of coach Ratu Kitione Tuibua) by his uncle Vesito Rauluni. Serevi's Nabua team were highly successful in Fiji's sevens tournaments.
team from Kyoto
, Japan. Serevi initially played for Mitsubishi for A$70,000 a year before this increased to A$90,000 a year. While with Mitsubishi in 1994, Serevi was approached by Australian Rugby League
clubs the Canberra Raiders
, and later the Brisbane Crushers
to play for them. After being set to join the Crushers, Serevi decided to stay with Mitsubishi due to a pay rise, and pressure from Fiji’s Methodist Church to stay with Rugby union.
Serevi continued to play for Mitsubishi until 1997 when he joined English club Leicester
on a two year contract. He was first approached by Leicester after he played against them for a World XV at Twickenham
in 1996. He stayed at Leicester for only one season before moving to the French club Stade Montois
in Mont-de-Marsan
.
After joining Stade Montois, Serevi moved to the coaching staff due to the second level sides only being allowed to play two non-European Union players. After getting clearance from the French Rugby Federation, Serevi was cleared to play for Stade Montois in 2001. He continued there until joining French Club Stade Bordelais
in January 2004. In late 2004 Serevi joined London club Staines
; making his debut in a victory against Thurrock in December that year. Serevi stopped playing club rugby professionally in 2005.
in New Zealand. The Wellington game was his first in front of a large crowd. He had mixed feelings about playing an international for the first time in front of a huge crowd. The next year he made his international debut against Belgium
in Liege.
After being a regular selection for the team in 1989, and three times in 1990, Serevi was selected in the 1991 Rugby World Cup
squad. He played against France
and Canada
, losing both games. Serevi only played four fifteen-aside games for Fiji in 1992 and 1993 (Fiji losing all four). This led to Fiji failing to qualify for the 1995 Rugby World Cup
in South Africa. In 1996 Serevi was selected for his first Fiji game since 1993. The game was against Northland
in Whangarei
and resulted in a 49-18 win; Serevi’s first win with the national team since 1991. Serevi was selected for seven games in 1996, including matches against South Africa
and the New Zealand Māori
.
Serevi did not play for Fiji in the 1997 season, but did come on against Scotland
in Fiji’s 51-26 win at Suva in 1998. He was continually selected throughout 1998, and played Tests against France, USA
, Australia
, Tonga
and Samoa
. The following year he again played for Fiji; including consecutive wins over Spain
, Uruguay
, and Italy
. Fiji qualified for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
in France, with Serevi playing in three of Fiji’s matches (including wins over Namibia
and Canada).
Following the 1999 Rugby World Cup, Serevi did not play for Fiji again until 2001. In that year he came on against an Italian regional XV after 57 minutes and scored two tries, two conversions and two penalties to help his team to a 33-23 victory. This was followed by a match against Italy where he scored all of Fiji’s points (Fiji lost 10-66). He played two more matches for Fiji that season, including a win over the French Barbarians
, in which Serevi was captain.
In 2002 Serevi played four matches for Fiji. All were losses; first against Wales
, then Ireland
, Scotland A, and Scotland
. Serevi’s last season for Fiji was in 2003, where he played several matches in build-up to the Rugby World Cup in Australia. These matches included wins over the Queensland Reds
, Marlborough
, and Chile
. His last match for Fiji was a 41-13 win over Japan
in the 2003 Rugby World Cup
; his third Rugby World Cup tournament.
. Although New Zealand
won the tournament, beating Fiji in their semi-final, Serevi was named player of the tournament. Serevi returned in 1990 when Fiji won their first of three consecutive Hong Kong Sevens titles. Serevi again picked up player of the tournament after Fiji defeated New Zealand in the final. In 1992 Serevi was again named the player of the tournament.
At the 1993 Hong Kong Sevens, Serevi scored three tries to help Fiji to a 17-14 win over Australia in the semi-final, but was unable to prevent his team being defeated 14-12 in the final by Samoa
. Fiji's next major tournament was the inaugural 1993 Rugby Sevens World Cup
held in Edinburgh
, Scotland. Serevi said that the team was working "sometimes nine hours a day" in preparation for the Sevens World Cup. Fiji were defeated by eventual champions England
21-7 in their semi-final. Serevi was the equal top point scorer for the tournament.
, Serevi returned to the Hong Kong sevens. After defeating South Africa
in their quarter final, Fiji lost to eventual winners New Zealand in their semi-final. In 1995, Serevi captained Fiji to the Hong Kong Sevens final. Serevi scored three tries in Fiji's semi-final victory over Australia. They then faced New Zealand in the final, and although leading 17-14 at one point, eventually lost the game 35-17. In the 1996 tournament, Fiji again met New Zealand in the final. New Zealand led after Serevi tripped Christian Cullen
close to Fiji's try line. This was followed by a break from Serevi to give Setareki Naivaluwaqa a try. New Zealand scored twice more however, to give them a 19-17 victory. Serevi finished the year by leading Fiji to victory in the Dubai Sevens
.
The following year the Hong Kong sevens doubled as the Rugby Sevens World Cup. Serevi was Fiji's captain for the tournament. Before the tournament Serevi made a promise to Fiji to "bring back the Melrose Cup." In his first three games of the tournament Serevi scored 59 points to help confirm Fiji as favourites for the title. Fiji did not concede a point until their semi-final (their sixth game of the tournament), and eventually faced South Africa in the final. South Africa scored two tries, before Fiji responded with four tries of their own; the final score was 24-21 to Fiji. Serevi was the tournaments top scorer, with 117 points (including nine tries). Serevi also played for Fiji in the Japan and France sevens; the latter won by Fiji.
After winning the Fiji Sevens Tournament with Fiji in March 1998, Serevi led his country at Hong Kong. Despite a 21-21 draw against Argentina
in pool play - where Serevi scored one try and set up two - Fiji qualified for the tournament's quarter-finals. Fiji beat Australia in the quarter-finals, and faced New Zealand in their semi-final. They defeated New Zealand 24-7 after Serevi scored one try and set up another two. Fiji faced Samoa in the final, defeating them 28-19. Serevi was named player of the tournament. Later that year Serevi led Fiji in the Rugby Sevens at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
in Kuala Lumpur
. The team faced New Zealand in the final, losing 21-12, earning them the silver medal.
(whose defeat included a try set up by a 40 metre one handed pass from Serevi) and then Scotland
. Fiji and Serevi again faced New Zealand in the final. Fiji scored three tries (all converted by Serevi) to win 21-12. Serevi dedicated the win to his two daughters.
In 1999 the inaugural International Rugby Board Sevens series was held starting with the Dubai tournament
. Serevi missed this leg, but finished the year by leading Fiji to victory in the South Africa Sevens
in Stellenbosch. Serevi then returned for the leg in Mar Del Plata
where he scored a try to lead Fiji to victory over New Zealand in the final. Serevi then led Fiji in their first sevens tournament in New Zealand, at Wellington
. Fiji again defeated New Zealand in a tournament final, this time 24 - 14. Serevi was the tournaments top points scorer (84 points). Serevi also played in the Fiji Sevens tournament, where Fiji lost to New Zealand 31-5 in the final. Serevi then led Fiji to victory in the Brisbane leg of the series. Fiji made the final after defeating South Africa in their semi-final. The final was against Australia, who were leading up until the last minute of the match. With less than a minute to go Serevi broke several Australian tackles and sprinted 80 metres to score a try and win the match for Fiji. The try was described at the time by Australian rugby union writer Spiros Zavos as "the greatest individual try in sevens series history", and was voted try of the year at the 2000 Fiji Rugby Awards. At the Hong Kong Sevens Serevi was the tournament's top scorer with 75 points. But it was not enough for Fiji to win however, as they lost 31-5 to New Zealand in the final. Serevi's last sevens tournament of the series was in Japan where he led Fiji to victory.
Serevi started 2001 by leading Fiji in the 2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens
in Argentina. Fiji were defeated by Australia in their semi-final; the Australians went on to lose to New Zealand in the final. In the 2000/2001 IRB Sevens World Series Serevi only played in the London
and Wales tournaments. He also missed the 2001 Hong Kong Sevens, the first time he had missed the tournament in 12 years. Serevi was omitted from the team due to form, and the desire to develop new players for the 2004 Rugby World Cup Sevens. Fiji's coach at the time, Tomasi Cama
, suggested Serevi had lost some pace and age was catching up with him". Serevi's last sevens tournament for the year was the World Games in Akita
, Japan. As captain, he led Fiji to the Gold medal after defeating Australia 35-19 in the final.
The first tournament of 2002 for Serevi was in Chile
. Fiji advanced to the semi-finals where they faced New Zealand. During the match Serevi was tackled late by New Zealander Amasio Valence
. Fijian player Marika Vunibaka
ran 50 metres to punch Valence and a brawl then started. Fiji ended up losing the game. Serevi and Fiji rebounded the following week to win the tournament at Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires
. Serevi played in the Brisbane, Wellington, and then Beijing Sevens before returning to Hong Kong. In Fiji's defeat of Australia in their quarter-final, Serevi scored 13 points to take his Hong Kong points tally over 1000. Fiji defeated New Zealand in their semi-final and faced England in the final. England defeated Fiji 33-20 in the final. Later that year Serevi captained Fiji to the 2002 Commonwealth Games
in Manchester
. He helped get the team to the games' final with a try-saving tackle during Fiji's 17-7 defeat of South Africa in their semi-final. The final was against New Zealand, and despite Serevi landing a penalty to give Fiji a 15-14 lead with two minutes left, New Zealand won 33-17. This gave Serevi his second Commonwealth Games silver medal.
Serevi did not represent Fiji in sevens in 2003, being controversially omitted from Fiji's Hong Kong Sevens squad. Serevi had been unable to return to Fiji for a fitness test and national tournament due to commitments with his club Stade Montois in France. Because of this he was omitted from the team, despite being available to play in the tournament.
After recovering from his injury, Serevi was named in the Fiji sevens squad in January 2004. This was despite the rule enforced by coach Senivalati Laulau that to be eligible to play one must attend the teams trials. After being named in the training squad, Serevi was not selected for the squad for the Wellington or Los Angeles
legs of the IRB World Sevens Series. Serevi then missed selection for the team to play in Hong Kong for the second year in a row. Pauliasi Tabulutu replaced Laulau as Fiji's coach and recalled Serevi to play in the Bordeaux Sevens. Serevi then played in the London leg of the Sevens Series - his last leg of the year.
Serevi started the year by leading the Lomaiviti Barbarians in the Pacific 7's in Auckland, New Zealand. Serevi returned to Fiji (from his club Staines in England) in February that year in an attempt to play for Fiji in the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens
. On returning to Fiji, Serevi said "My goal is to go to the World Cup". After being selected by coach Wayne Pivac
for the Fiji squad, Serevi was named as captain.
Led by Serevi, Fiji qualified for the quarter-finals of the Sevens World Cup at Hong Kong, with pool victories over Australia, Canada
, Hong Kong, Japan
and Portugal
. After the pool matches, coach Wayne Pivac
said of Serevi; "Waisale is the eyes for the other guys" and "he brings the others into the game and puts players into gaps." After scoring the match-winning try in sudden death against England in their semi-final, Serevi led Fiji to World Cup victory over New Zealand in the final. He finished the tournament as the World Cup's all-time leading points scorer and goal scorer, and the second highest World Cup try scorer of all time.
A national holiday (24 March 2005) was declared in Fiji for the teams return, and the country's Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase
declared:
Serevi's first tournament as Fiji's coach was the Singapore leg of the IRB Sevens Series; Fiji was defeated by England in their semi-final. The last two legs of the 2004/2005 IRB Sevens Series were played in London and Paris
. There Serevi coached Fiji to the Plate victory, and a final loss respectively. His first major trophy as coach came when Fiji won gold in the 2005 World Games in Germany.
For the entire 2005/2006 IRB Sevens Series Serevi was Fiji's player-coach (his assistant coach was Jo Savou). Fiji won the George leg in South Africa, the Wellington leg in New Zealand, the Singapore leg, and the London leg in England. The team also made the final of the Dubai, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong legs of the series. Fiji won the Series - becoming the first team other than New Zealand to win the IRB Series. Following the series win Prime Minister Qarase said of Serevi:
As well as coaching Fiji to the IRB Series win in 2006, Serevi also coached them to bronze at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne. Fiji faced England in their semi-final, but Serevi was unable to take the field due to "a technical hitch with the fourth official." After losing to England, Fiji recovered to defeat Australia 24-17 in the play-off for bronze.
In December 2006 Serevi was offered a coaching position with the Falcons
, a South African club. The offer was several times more than he received from the Fiji Rugby Union. The contract required him to be a backline coach and player for two years and then a coach for the next three years. In the end he decided to stay with Fiji Rugby and renewed his contract with the Fiji Rugby Union. In early 2007 the interim Sports Minister Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi
appointed Serevi to the board of the interim Sports Council (Fiji)
.
Serevi coached Fiji to the final of the first Sevens Series leg of 2007 in Wellington
, where they lost to Samoa 17-14 in the final. The team then rebounded when they defeated Samoa to win the San Diego
leg. Fiji's next tournament was Hong Kong
where Serevi made a world record 18th appearance. Serevi scored the final try as Fiji defeated New Zealand in Hong Kong. They then faced Samoa in the final; Samoa led 27-0 at half time. Although Fiji then scored 22 points in the second half, Samoa won the final 27-22. Fiji won the following tournament at Adelaide
, but only after a converted try by Serevi forcing extra time in their quarter final with South Africa.
Serevi then coached Fiji to the final of the London
leg, where they were defeated by New Zealand. The final leg of the 2006/2007 Series was in Edinburgh
. Fiji needed to qualify for the semi-finals to guarantee they would win the series. They qualified top of pool A and faced Wales in their quarter-final. Wales defeated Fiji in 21-14 in a major unpset. "Wales kept the ball well against us, and they scored tries. They deserved to win," Serevi said of the loss. New Zealand then won the tournament, making them the series champions with 130 points to Fiji's 128.
On 6 July 2007, Serevi announced his resignation as coach of the national sevens team.
On 24 July 2008, the Fiji Rugby Union announced the return of Serevi as Fiji's coach for the 2008-2009 IRB World Sevens Series and the Rugby Sevens World Cup in Dubai. At the time of the announcement, Serevi was in England receiving an honorary sports degree from Leeds Metropolitan University
. Fiji Rugby Union chairman Keni Dakuidreketi denied that Serevi's selection was a result of the public clamor after the team's performance in the 2007-2008 World Sevens Series under coach Jo Savou. While in the UK Serevi played a game of rugby league
for UK Fiji in the Carnegie Floodlit 9s.
Despite his return, Serevi's team did not do well in the first two legs of the 2008-2009 World Sevens Series, losing in the semi-final both times to South Africa. Serevi also clashed with the Fiji Rugby Union over being left out of player selection duties. As a result, the FRU dismissed him on 29 January 2009. Iliesa Tanivula took over the post for the rest of the series.
In August 2009, the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football Union
hired Serevi to become their sevens development officer on a five-year contract. He was later tapped as the national sevens coach. However, on 27 March 2010, the union confirmed that the working relationship with Serevi was finished. Union president Richard Sapias said off-field decisions prompted the severing of relations,especially after PNG suffered humiliating losses at the Adelaide sevens. Serevi was also frequently seen with the Fijian team instead of the PNG squad.
Serevi said many times during his stay in the US that he wants to move one with his life. However, on October 6, 2011, Serevi flew home to Fiji and declared his availability to coach the team in qualifying for the 2013 Sevens World Cup
and help the team qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Serevi learned Japanese while in Japan, and also taught English whilst there. Despite living in France for several years he did not learn French, and required an interpreter for interviews. Serevi's interests include listening to music, and watching movies. Apart from rugby, he also likes to play touch rugby and volleyball. Other interests include meeting people, and traveling the world.
On 18 May 2007, Serevi was appointed a Special Inspector with the Fiji Police Force by the acting Commissioner of Police Romanu Tikotikoca. The appointment is in youth and community policing. Serevi will not be a regular officer, but will be paid for the hours he works.
's Hall of Fame in 2005, and was named the Fiji Times 2005 Personality of the Year.
; Kuala Lumpur
in 1998, Manchester
in 2002, and Melbourne in 2006. With Fiji he won silver in 1998 and 2002, and bronze in 2006. Serevi led Fiji to gold in both the 2001 World Games
in Japan, and the 2005 World Games in Germany.
tournaments since Serevi's first in 1989. Table includes Rugby World Cup Sevens
tournaments and IRB Sevens World Series
legs.
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,...
, 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...
) is a former Fijian rugby union
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...
footballer, and coach. Although he played fifteen-a-side rugby throughout his playing career, Serevi is most notable for his achievements 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...
.
In the 15-man game, he played for 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...
39 times between 1989 and 2003, and scored 376 points. This included representing Fiji in the 1991
1991 Rugby World Cup
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...
, 1999
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
, and 2003 Rugby World Cup
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...
s. He has also played professionally for the Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Juko Sagamihara
also known as Mitsubishi Juko Sagamihara Rugby Club, are a Japanese rugby union team based in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The owner of this club is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.The club was founded in 1981...
, Leicester
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...
, Stade Montois
Stade Montois
Stade Montois is a French rugby union team that plays in the 2011–12 season in Rugby Pro D2, the second level of the country's professional league system.They were founded in 1908 and play in yellow and black...
, Stade Bordelais
Stade Bordelais
Stade Bordelais are a French rugby union club, based in Bordeaux.The club was established in 1889. Bordelais were a major force in the French championship during the 1900s...
and Staines rugby teams.
His representative sevens career started in 1989 when he played for Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team (sevens)
The Fiji Sevens side is one of the most popular and successful Sevens teams in the world and has won the Hong Kong Sevens a record nine times since its inception in 1976. Fiji has also won the Sevens World Cup twice, winning that event in 1997 and 2005...
at the Hong Kong
Hong Kong Sevens
The Hong Kong Sevens is considered the premier tournament on the IRB Sevens World Series in rugby sevens—a variant of rugby union....
tournament. With the exception of 2001, 2003 and 2004 he has played at Hong Kong every year since. Serevi has also played in the 1993
1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The inaugural 1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens was held at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, Scotland, in April 1993. The International Rugby Board invited the established rugby union nations but also were keen to involve emerging nations in the event, recognising the fact that Sevens was providing the bridge...
, 1997
1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The 1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens was the second edition of the tournament and held in Hong Kong. Fiji defeated South Africa 24-21 to take the title for the first time. The match is still considered one of the best Sevens matches of all time...
, 2001
2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The 2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens or the Melrose Cup was the 3rd edition of the tournament and held in Argentina. New Zealand defeated Australia to win the tournament for the first time. This was the first major rugby event ever held in South America....
, and 2005
2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens
-The winning team::Fiji national rugby sevens team*Waisale Serevi*Sireli Bobo*Vilimoni Delasau*William Ryder*Marika Vunibaka*Semisi Naevo*Nasoni Roko*Ifereimi Rawaqa*Jone Daunivucu*Lepani Nabuliwaqa*Norman Ligairi*Viliame Satala*Apolosi Satala...
Rugby World Cup Sevens
Rugby World Cup Sevens
The Rugby World Cup Sevens is the premier international Rugby sevens competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board , and is contested by the men's national sevens teams every four years. The inaugural tournament was held in 1993 in Scotland, the...
, winning the World Cup with Fiji in 1997 and 2005. He won silver at the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
in 1998
1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...
and 2002
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
, and captured bronze in 2006
Rugby Sevens at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were the third Games at which Rugby sevens was played. It is one of the male-only sports at the Commonwealth Games, the other being Boxing. The venue for the Rugby Sevens was the Telstra Dome, on the western edge of Melbourne's Central Business District...
. Serevi has played in the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
Sevens Series
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...
since its creation in 1999. In 2005 after winning the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens
2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens
-The winning team::Fiji national rugby sevens team*Waisale Serevi*Sireli Bobo*Vilimoni Delasau*William Ryder*Marika Vunibaka*Semisi Naevo*Nasoni Roko*Ifereimi Rawaqa*Jone Daunivucu*Lepani Nabuliwaqa*Norman Ligairi*Viliame Satala*Apolosi Satala...
Serevi was appointed the Fiji Sevens team's coach. He coached Fiji to the 2005/2006 IRB Sevens Series
2005-06 World Sevens Series
The 2005-06 World Sevens Series was the seventh in an annual series of rugby union sevens tournaments run by the International Rugby Board since 1999-2000. The participating teams in each World Sevens Series are full national sides....
victory – the first time the series was not won by New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby union team (sevens)
The New Zealand national rugby union sevens team is the New Zealand representative team in rugby union sevens and competes in the IRB Sevens World Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-IRB Sevens:...
.
Early life
The third of five children, Serevi was born in Suva, on the island of Viti LevuViti Levu
Viti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji, the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.- Geography and economy :...
on 20 May 1968. He was raised by staunch Christian parents who were both heavily involved in the Church. Serevi's inspiration to play rugby stemmed from his childhood, when Fiji defeated the British Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
in 1977. He missed watching the match, and decided to take up rugby after seeing how happy the victory made the people of Fiji.
His family moved twice when he was a child; the second time settling in Suva
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,...
where Serevi started secondary school. There he attended Lelean Memorial School. His schooling was unsuccessful however, and he failed his Fiji Junior Certificate Examination (tenth year) in 1984. Serevi's blamed his love for rugby, saying he "played too much and didn't spend enough time studying."
After failing his examinations Serevi quit school and continued to play for his local club Rewa. Although he trained with the team, he was omitted from playing as the coach, Jo Rauto, thought he was too small and would get hurt. He was eventually selected to play for the senior provincial side when he was 17. Several months later he was asked to join the Nabua Rugby Club (under the guidance of coach Ratu Kitione Tuibua) by his uncle Vesito Rauluni. Serevi's Nabua team were highly successful in Fiji's sevens tournaments.
Club
Prior to 1993 he played for the Nasinu Rugby Club in the Suva Club Rugby Competition, and represented Suva on numerous occasions. In 1993 Serevi signed for the MitsubishiMitsubishi Juko Sagamihara
also known as Mitsubishi Juko Sagamihara Rugby Club, are a Japanese rugby union team based in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The owner of this club is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.The club was founded in 1981...
team from Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan. Serevi initially played for Mitsubishi for A$70,000 a year before this increased to A$90,000 a year. While with Mitsubishi in 1994, Serevi was approached by Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
clubs the Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
, and later the Brisbane Crushers
South Queensland Crushers
The South Queensland Crushers were an Australian rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. In 1992 it was decided that the team would be admitted into the New South Wales Rugby League competition, along with three other teams, as part of the League's expansion plans for professional...
to play for them. After being set to join the Crushers, Serevi decided to stay with Mitsubishi due to a pay rise, and pressure from Fiji’s Methodist Church to stay with Rugby union.
Serevi continued to play for Mitsubishi until 1997 when he joined English club Leicester
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...
on a two year contract. He was first approached by Leicester after he played against them for a World XV at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
in 1996. He stayed at Leicester for only one season before moving to the French club Stade Montois
Stade Montois
Stade Montois is a French rugby union team that plays in the 2011–12 season in Rugby Pro D2, the second level of the country's professional league system.They were founded in 1908 and play in yellow and black...
in Mont-de-Marsan
Mont-de-Marsan
Mont-de-Marsan is a commune and capital of the Landes department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.Mont-de-Marsan airbase « Constantin Rozanoff » is a major installation of the French Air Force. The base includes CEAM , an air defense radar command reporting centre, and an air defence control...
.
After joining Stade Montois, Serevi moved to the coaching staff due to the second level sides only being allowed to play two non-European Union players. After getting clearance from the French Rugby Federation, Serevi was cleared to play for Stade Montois in 2001. He continued there until joining French Club Stade Bordelais
Stade Bordelais
Stade Bordelais are a French rugby union club, based in Bordeaux.The club was established in 1889. Bordelais were a major force in the French championship during the 1900s...
in January 2004. In late 2004 Serevi joined London club Staines
Staines
Staines is a Thames-side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and Greater London Urban Area, as well as the London Commuter Belt of South East England. It is a suburban development within the western bounds of the M25 motorway and located 17 miles west south-west of Charing Cross in...
; making his debut in a victory against Thurrock in December that year. Serevi stopped playing club rugby professionally in 2005.
International
In 1987 Serevi was selected for the Fiji B team. The following year he was selected for Fiji for the first time, playing against WellingtonWellington Rugby Football Union
The Wellington Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand...
in New Zealand. The Wellington game was his first in front of a large crowd. He had mixed feelings about playing an international for the first time in front of a huge crowd. The next year he made his international debut against Belgium
Belgium national rugby union team
The Belgium national rugby union team represents the third tier rugby playing nation of Belgium. They first played in 1930 and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Belgium is administered by the Belgian Rugby Federation...
in Liege.
After being a regular selection for the team in 1989, and three times in 1990, Serevi was selected in the 1991 Rugby World Cup
1991 Rugby World Cup
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...
squad. He played against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
and Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
, losing both games. Serevi only played four fifteen-aside games for Fiji in 1992 and 1993 (Fiji losing all four). This led to Fiji failing to qualify for the 1995 Rugby World Cup
1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
in South Africa. In 1996 Serevi was selected for his first Fiji game since 1993. The game was against Northland
Northland Rugby Union
The Northland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Northland region of New Zealand.-History:Rugby was first played in Northland in the 1870s, and the first union was set up in the province in 1895, known as the Marsden Football Union. The Northland union was founded in...
in Whangarei
Whangarei
Whangarei, pronounced , is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. Although commonly classified as a city, it is officially part of the Whangarei District, administered by the Whangarei District Council a local body created in 1989 to administer both the...
and resulted in a 49-18 win; Serevi’s first win with the national team since 1991. Serevi was selected for seven games in 1996, including matches against 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...
and the New Zealand Māori
New Zealand Maori rugby union team
New Zealand Māori is a rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. A prerequisite for playing in this team is that the player is to have Māori whakapapa or genealogy. In the past this rule was not strictly applied. In the past non-Māori players who looked Māori were often...
.
Serevi did not play for Fiji in the 1997 season, but did come on against Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
in Fiji’s 51-26 win at Suva in 1998. He was continually selected throughout 1998, and played Tests against France, USA
United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
, Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
, Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
and Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
. The following year he again played for Fiji; including consecutive wins over Spain
Spain national rugby union team
The Spain national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Spain, representing them at rugby union. Spain have been playing rugby since the late 1920s, playing their first international against Italy in 1929. They have qualified for one Rugby World Cup, in 1999 where they were pooled with...
, Uruguay
Uruguay national rugby union team
The Uruguay national rugby union team is the representative side of Uruguay, governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay. They have been playing international rugby since 1948. Their jersey is blue and black and they are known as Los Teros. They qualified twice for the Rugby World Cup, in 1999 and...
, and Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
. Fiji qualified for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
in France, with Serevi playing in three of Fiji’s matches (including wins over Namibia
Namibia national rugby union team
The Namibian rugby union team, nicknamed the Welwitschias or Biltongboere, represents Namibia at rugby union. Although they are a tier-three nation in the International Rugby Board tier system, the team have participated in all three Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999...
and Canada).
Following the 1999 Rugby World Cup, Serevi did not play for Fiji again until 2001. In that year he came on against an Italian regional XV after 57 minutes and scored two tries, two conversions and two penalties to help his team to a 33-23 victory. This was followed by a match against Italy where he scored all of Fiji’s points (Fiji lost 10-66). He played two more matches for Fiji that season, including a win over the French Barbarians
French Barbarians
The Barbarian Rugby Club, more commonly known as the French Barbarians , are an invitational rugby union team that is based in France. The team is based on the Barbarians and was founded by Jean-Claude Skrela after he played for and adored the Barbarians in the later days of his career...
, in which Serevi was captain.
In 2002 Serevi played four matches for Fiji. All were losses; first against Wales
Wales 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...
, then Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
, Scotland A, and Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
. Serevi’s last season for Fiji was in 2003, where he played several matches in build-up to the Rugby World Cup in Australia. These matches included wins over the Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
, Marlborough
Tasman Rugby Union
The Tasman Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union at the top of the South Island in New Zealand. It is New Zealand's newest provincial union, founded in 2006 with the amalgamation of the existing Marlborough and Nelson Bays sub unions...
, and Chile
Chile national rugby union team
The Chile national rugby union team is a rugby union nation representing Chile. They first played in 1935 and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Chile is administered by the Federación de Rugby de Chile...
. His last match for Fiji was a 41-13 win over Japan
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
in the 2003 Rugby World Cup
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...
; his third Rugby World Cup tournament.
1989–1993
After playing domestics sevens in Fiji, Serevi was selected for Fiji for the Sydney Sevens tournament in 1989. Later that year he made his début at the Hong Kong SevensHong Kong Sevens
The Hong Kong Sevens is considered the premier tournament on the IRB Sevens World Series in rugby sevens—a variant of rugby union....
. Although New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby union team (sevens)
The New Zealand national rugby union sevens team is the New Zealand representative team in rugby union sevens and competes in the IRB Sevens World Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-IRB Sevens:...
won the tournament, beating Fiji in their semi-final, Serevi was named player of the tournament. Serevi returned in 1990 when Fiji won their first of three consecutive Hong Kong Sevens titles. Serevi again picked up player of the tournament after Fiji defeated New Zealand in the final. In 1992 Serevi was again named the player of the tournament.
At the 1993 Hong Kong Sevens, Serevi scored three tries to help Fiji to a 17-14 win over Australia in the semi-final, but was unable to prevent his team being defeated 14-12 in the final by Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team (sevens)
The Samoa national rugby union team represent Samoa internationally in rugby sevens, a competitive sports tournament titled the IRB Sevens World Series which takes place annually in seven countries; United Arab Emirates, South Africa, New Zealand, United States, Hong Kong, Australia, England and...
. Fiji's next major tournament was the inaugural 1993 Rugby Sevens World Cup
Rugby World Cup Sevens
The Rugby World Cup Sevens is the premier international Rugby sevens competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board , and is contested by the men's national sevens teams every four years. The inaugural tournament was held in 1993 in Scotland, the...
held in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland. Serevi said that the team was working "sometimes nine hours a day" in preparation for the Sevens World Cup. Fiji were defeated by eventual champions England
England national rugby union team (sevens)
The English national rugby union sevens team compete in the World Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-Honours:* 1973 International Seven-A-Side Tournament - Winners* Rugby World Cup Sevens Winners 1993* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2002* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2003*...
21-7 in their semi-final. Serevi was the equal top point scorer for the tournament.
1994–1999
After playing in sevens tournaments in Fiji and CanberraCanberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Serevi returned to the Hong Kong sevens. After defeating South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team (sevens)
The South African national rugby union sevens team compete in the World Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-Current squad:2011–12 IRB Sevens World Series 14-man squad :#Cecil Afrika...
in their quarter final, Fiji lost to eventual winners New Zealand in their semi-final. In 1995, Serevi captained Fiji to the Hong Kong Sevens final. Serevi scored three tries in Fiji's semi-final victory over Australia. They then faced New Zealand in the final, and although leading 17-14 at one point, eventually lost the game 35-17. In the 1996 tournament, Fiji again met New Zealand in the final. New Zealand led after Serevi tripped Christian Cullen
Christian Cullen
Christian Mathias Cullen is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand , for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu, Wellington and later Munster at first-class level. He was nicknamed the Paekakariki Express...
close to Fiji's try line. This was followed by a break from Serevi to give Setareki Naivaluwaqa a try. New Zealand scored twice more however, to give them a 19-17 victory. Serevi finished the year by leading Fiji to victory in the Dubai Sevens
Dubai Sevens
The Dubai Sevens is an annual rugby union sevens tournament held in Dubai, UAE. Through the 2007 edition, it was held at the Dubai Exiles Rugby Ground, but in 2008 it moved to The Sevens, a new stadium built to host the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens. The 2009 competition took place between 3-5...
.
The following year the Hong Kong sevens doubled as the Rugby Sevens World Cup. Serevi was Fiji's captain for the tournament. Before the tournament Serevi made a promise to Fiji to "bring back the Melrose Cup." In his first three games of the tournament Serevi scored 59 points to help confirm Fiji as favourites for the title. Fiji did not concede a point until their semi-final (their sixth game of the tournament), and eventually faced South Africa in the final. South Africa scored two tries, before Fiji responded with four tries of their own; the final score was 24-21 to Fiji. Serevi was the tournaments top scorer, with 117 points (including nine tries). Serevi also played for Fiji in the Japan and France sevens; the latter won by Fiji.
After winning the Fiji Sevens Tournament with Fiji in March 1998, Serevi led his country at Hong Kong. Despite a 21-21 draw against Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team (sevens)
The Argentina national rugby union sevens team compete in the World Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens.-Current squad:A 12-man squad for the 2010–11 IRB Sevens World Series:#Santiago Bottini#Francisco Cuneo#Gonzalo Gutierrez Taboada#Francisco Merello...
in pool play - where Serevi scored one try and set up two - Fiji qualified for the tournament's quarter-finals. Fiji beat Australia in the quarter-finals, and faced New Zealand in their semi-final. They defeated New Zealand 24-7 after Serevi scored one try and set up another two. Fiji faced Samoa in the final, defeating them 28-19. Serevi was named player of the tournament. Later that year Serevi led Fiji in the Rugby Sevens at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...
in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. The team faced New Zealand in the final, losing 21-12, earning them the silver medal.
1999–2004
Serevi started 1999 by winning the Air Pacific Sevens in Fiji; they defeated Australian Fijians 35-7. Following this Serevi captained Fiji to the Hong Kong Sevens, his eleventh tournament. Fiji defeated TongaTonga national rugby union team (sevens)
The Tonga national rugby union team represent Tonga in rugby sevens. The team competes in the IRB World Sevens Series.-2008/09 IRB Sevens:Tonga have only participated in one round of the current IRB Sevens Series so far...
(whose defeat included a try set up by a 40 metre one handed pass from Serevi) and then Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team (sevens)
The Scottish national rugby union sevens team compete in the IRB Sevens World Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.During 2006, the side were in danger of no longer competing in the Sevens World Series due to the financial problems faced by the Scottish Rugby Union...
. Fiji and Serevi again faced New Zealand in the final. Fiji scored three tries (all converted by Serevi) to win 21-12. Serevi dedicated the win to his two daughters.
In 1999 the inaugural International Rugby Board Sevens series was held starting with the Dubai tournament
Dubai Sevens
The Dubai Sevens is an annual rugby union sevens tournament held in Dubai, UAE. Through the 2007 edition, it was held at the Dubai Exiles Rugby Ground, but in 2008 it moved to The Sevens, a new stadium built to host the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens. The 2009 competition took place between 3-5...
. Serevi missed this leg, but finished the year by leading Fiji to victory in the South Africa Sevens
South Africa Sevens
South Africa Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held in South Africa each year. It is part of the IRB Sevens World Series.As of the 2010–11 series, 12 tournaments have been held in South Africa—one in Stellenbosch, two in Durban, and nine at the most recent location, George...
in Stellenbosch. Serevi then returned for the leg in Mar Del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
where he scored a try to lead Fiji to victory over New Zealand in the final. Serevi then led Fiji in their first sevens tournament in New Zealand, at Wellington
Wellington Sevens
The Wellington Sevens or the New Zealand International Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held in Wellington, New Zealand. The tournament, the third on the IRB Sevens World Series circuit, is played at Wellington's Westpac Stadium in early February and includes teams from 16 countries...
. Fiji again defeated New Zealand in a tournament final, this time 24 - 14. Serevi was the tournaments top points scorer (84 points). Serevi also played in the Fiji Sevens tournament, where Fiji lost to New Zealand 31-5 in the final. Serevi then led Fiji to victory in the Brisbane leg of the series. Fiji made the final after defeating South Africa in their semi-final. The final was against Australia, who were leading up until the last minute of the match. With less than a minute to go Serevi broke several Australian tackles and sprinted 80 metres to score a try and win the match for Fiji. The try was described at the time by Australian rugby union writer Spiros Zavos as "the greatest individual try in sevens series history", and was voted try of the year at the 2000 Fiji Rugby Awards. At the Hong Kong Sevens Serevi was the tournament's top scorer with 75 points. But it was not enough for Fiji to win however, as they lost 31-5 to New Zealand in the final. Serevi's last sevens tournament of the series was in Japan where he led Fiji to victory.
Serevi started 2001 by leading Fiji in the 2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens
2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The 2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens or the Melrose Cup was the 3rd edition of the tournament and held in Argentina. New Zealand defeated Australia to win the tournament for the first time. This was the first major rugby event ever held in South America....
in Argentina. Fiji were defeated by Australia in their semi-final; the Australians went on to lose to New Zealand in the final. In the 2000/2001 IRB Sevens World Series Serevi only played in the London
London Sevens
The London Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held at Twickenham in London each year. It is part of the IRB Sevens World Series. The current titleholders are Australia, who beat South Africa in the final at Twickenham on 23 May 2010.- External links :...
and Wales tournaments. He also missed the 2001 Hong Kong Sevens, the first time he had missed the tournament in 12 years. Serevi was omitted from the team due to form, and the desire to develop new players for the 2004 Rugby World Cup Sevens. Fiji's coach at the time, Tomasi Cama
Tomasi Cama
Tomasi Cama is a former Fijian rugby union player. He played for Nabua Rugby Club in Fiji and won 14 caps playing for making his test debut 10 August, 1985 against at Ballymore, Brisbane scoring a try. He played four tests in the 1987 Rugby World Cup...
, suggested Serevi had lost some pace and age was catching up with him". Serevi's last sevens tournament for the year was the World Games in Akita
Akita, Akita
is the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of June 11, 2005, with the merger of the former Kawabe District , the city has an estimated population of 323,310 and density of...
, Japan. As captain, he led Fiji to the Gold medal after defeating Australia 35-19 in the final.
The first tournament of 2002 for Serevi was in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. Fiji advanced to the semi-finals where they faced New Zealand. During the match Serevi was tackled late by New Zealander Amasio Valence
Amasio Valence
Amasio Valence is a Rugby sevens player who switched allegiances to New Zealand after he first made his break into professional rugby in 2000...
. Fijian player Marika Vunibaka
Marika Vunibaka
Marika "Dawainavesi" Vunibaka is a Fijian rugby union footballer. He has represented the national team on numerous occasions, including at the 1999 Rugby World Cup in Wales and the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia....
ran 50 metres to punch Valence and a brawl then started. Fiji ended up losing the game. Serevi and Fiji rebounded the following week to win the tournament at Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. Serevi played in the Brisbane, Wellington, and then Beijing Sevens before returning to Hong Kong. In Fiji's defeat of Australia in their quarter-final, Serevi scored 13 points to take his Hong Kong points tally over 1000. Fiji defeated New Zealand in their semi-final and faced England in the final. England defeated Fiji 33-20 in the final. Later that year Serevi captained Fiji to the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. He helped get the team to the games' final with a try-saving tackle during Fiji's 17-7 defeat of South Africa in their semi-final. The final was against New Zealand, and despite Serevi landing a penalty to give Fiji a 15-14 lead with two minutes left, New Zealand won 33-17. This gave Serevi his second Commonwealth Games silver medal.
Serevi did not represent Fiji in sevens in 2003, being controversially omitted from Fiji's Hong Kong Sevens squad. Serevi had been unable to return to Fiji for a fitness test and national tournament due to commitments with his club Stade Montois in France. Because of this he was omitted from the team, despite being available to play in the tournament.
After recovering from his injury, Serevi was named in the Fiji sevens squad in January 2004. This was despite the rule enforced by coach Senivalati Laulau that to be eligible to play one must attend the teams trials. After being named in the training squad, Serevi was not selected for the squad for the Wellington or Los Angeles
USA Sevens
The USA Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held in the United States. A part of the IRB Sevens World Series, it currently takes place on Saturday and Sunday during the second weekend of February...
legs of the IRB World Sevens Series. Serevi then missed selection for the team to play in Hong Kong for the second year in a row. Pauliasi Tabulutu replaced Laulau as Fiji's coach and recalled Serevi to play in the Bordeaux Sevens. Serevi then played in the London leg of the Sevens Series - his last leg of the year.
2005–2007: player-coach
2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens
-The winning team::Fiji national rugby sevens team*Waisale Serevi*Sireli Bobo*Vilimoni Delasau*William Ryder*Marika Vunibaka*Semisi Naevo*Nasoni Roko*Ifereimi Rawaqa*Jone Daunivucu*Lepani Nabuliwaqa*Norman Ligairi*Viliame Satala*Apolosi Satala...
. On returning to Fiji, Serevi said "My goal is to go to the World Cup". After being selected by coach Wayne Pivac
Wayne 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....
for the Fiji squad, Serevi was named as captain.
Led by Serevi, Fiji qualified for the quarter-finals of the Sevens World Cup at Hong Kong, with pool victories over Australia, Canada
Canada national rugby union team (sevens)
The Canadian national rugby union sevens team compete in the IRB Sevens World Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens, Pan American Games and the Commonwealth Games.-Current squad:12-man squad for the 2011 Dubai Sevens:-See also:* World Sevens Series...
, Hong Kong, Japan
Japan national rugby union team (sevens)
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby sevens. The team compete in competitions such as the World Sevens Series and the Rugby World Cup Sevens.-Coach:*Wataru Murata - head coach from February 28, 2008...
and Portugal
Portugal national rugby union team (sevens)
The Portugal national rugby union team represent Portugal in international rugby sevens. The team has played for the first time in 1992, at the Catania Sevens, World Cup 1993 European Qualifier....
. After the pool matches, coach Wayne Pivac
Wayne 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....
said of Serevi; "Waisale is the eyes for the other guys" and "he brings the others into the game and puts players into gaps." After scoring the match-winning try in sudden death against England in their semi-final, Serevi led Fiji to World Cup victory over New Zealand in the final. He finished the tournament as the World Cup's all-time leading points scorer and goal scorer, and the second highest World Cup try scorer of all time.
A national holiday (24 March 2005) was declared in Fiji for the teams return, and the country's Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase
Laisenia Qarase
Laisenia Qarase is a Fijian political figure. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase joined the Interim Military Government as a financial adviser on 9 June 2000, until his appointment...
declared:
"On behalf of the Government and people of Fiji and personally, I convey our congratulations to you all - Serevi and the team members, and the management and coaching staff."Serevi was appointed as Wayne Pivac's successor as Fiji Sevens coach on 30 March. Soon after he returned to his village in Qarani to show its people the Melrose Cup.
Serevi's first tournament as Fiji's coach was the Singapore leg of the IRB Sevens Series; Fiji was defeated by England in their semi-final. The last two legs of the 2004/2005 IRB Sevens Series were played in London and Paris
Paris Sevens
The Paris Sevens was an annual rugby union sevens tournament held in Paris, France as part of the World Sevens Series. It was last contested in 2006, and was effectively replaced by the new Scotland Sevens as of the 2006-07 season....
. There Serevi coached Fiji to the Plate victory, and a final loss respectively. His first major trophy as coach came when Fiji won gold in the 2005 World Games in Germany.
For the entire 2005/2006 IRB Sevens Series Serevi was Fiji's player-coach (his assistant coach was Jo Savou). Fiji won the George leg in South Africa, the Wellington leg in New Zealand, the Singapore leg, and the London leg in England. The team also made the final of the Dubai, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong legs of the series. Fiji won the Series - becoming the first team other than New Zealand to win the IRB Series. Following the series win Prime Minister Qarase said of Serevi:
"You have set an example of what we can do as a country through vision, sacrifice, hard work, discipline, and making the best use of our gifts and talents."In Fiji, celebrations of the win included a specially composed song dedicated to Serevi named Na Noda Laione.
As well as coaching Fiji to the IRB Series win in 2006, Serevi also coached them to bronze at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne. Fiji faced England in their semi-final, but Serevi was unable to take the field due to "a technical hitch with the fourth official." After losing to England, Fiji recovered to defeat Australia 24-17 in the play-off for bronze.
In December 2006 Serevi was offered a coaching position with the Falcons
Falcons (rugby team)
The Falcons, or Valke in Afrikaans, are a South African rugby union team in Gauteng province that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments....
, a South African club. The offer was several times more than he received from the Fiji Rugby Union. The contract required him to be a backline coach and player for two years and then a coach for the next three years. In the end he decided to stay with Fiji Rugby and renewed his contract with the Fiji Rugby Union. In early 2007 the interim Sports Minister Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi
Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi
Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi, is a Fijian politician of Indian descent. He was one of the youngest members to be elected into Parliament in 1992. He has represented the Nadroga Indian Communal Constituency, which he won for the Fiji Labour Party in the parliamentary elections of 1992, 1994, 1999, 2001, and...
appointed Serevi to the board of the interim Sports Council (Fiji)
Fiji Sports Council
130px|rightThe Fiji Sports Council is an organisation in charge of organising International tournaments for Fiji athletes. It is also one of the leading providers of quality sports and recreational facilities and programs at national, regional and international levels...
.
Serevi coached Fiji to the final of the first Sevens Series leg of 2007 in Wellington
2007 Wellington Sevens
The Wellington Sevens, also known as the New Zealand Sevens or for sponsorship reasons the NZI Sevens, is played annually as part of the IRB Sevens World Series for international rugby sevens...
, where they lost to Samoa 17-14 in the final. The team then rebounded when they defeated Samoa to win the San Diego
2007 USA Sevens
The 2007 Steinlager USA Sevens was a rugby union sevens tournament held on February 10 and February 11, 2007 in the United States at 44,500 capacity PETCO Park in San Diego, California. It is part of the IRB Sevens World Series...
leg. Fiji's next tournament was Hong Kong
2007 Hong Kong Sevens
The 2007 Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens was a rugby union sevens tournament held on 30 March till 1 April 2007 in Hong Kong at the 40,000 capacity Hong Kong Stadium...
where Serevi made a world record 18th appearance. Serevi scored the final try as Fiji defeated New Zealand in Hong Kong. They then faced Samoa in the final; Samoa led 27-0 at half time. Although Fiji then scored 22 points in the second half, Samoa won the final 27-22. Fiji won the following tournament at Adelaide
2007 Adelaide Sevens
The Adelaide Sevens, also known as the Australia Sevens, is played annually as part of the IRB Sevens World Series for international rugby sevens . The 2007 competition, which took place on 7 and 8 April, was played at the Adelaide Oval, South Australia...
, but only after a converted try by Serevi forcing extra time in their quarter final with South Africa.
Serevi then coached Fiji to the final of the London
2007 London Sevens
The London Sevens is played annually as part of the IRB Sevens World Series for international rugby sevens...
leg, where they were defeated by New Zealand. The final leg of the 2006/2007 Series was in Edinburgh
2007 Edinburgh Sevens
The Edinburgh Sevens is played annually as part of the IRB Sevens World Series for international rugby sevens . The 2007 competition took place on 2nd and 3rd of June, and was held at Murrayfield. It was the last leg of the 2006-07 IRB Sevens World Series.New Zealand won the tournament after...
. Fiji needed to qualify for the semi-finals to guarantee they would win the series. They qualified top of pool A and faced Wales in their quarter-final. Wales defeated Fiji in 21-14 in a major unpset. "Wales kept the ball well against us, and they scored tries. They deserved to win," Serevi said of the loss. New Zealand then won the tournament, making them the series champions with 130 points to Fiji's 128.
On 6 July 2007, Serevi announced his resignation as coach of the national sevens team.
2007–2009: Coach
After several months of playing local games, the Chinese Taipei Rugby Union signed Serevi as a coach of their national Sevens squad. He reported for duties in March 2008. His first assignment for the team was the 2008 IRB Hong Kong Sevens. Serevi also took time to participate in the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club in Japan, on 5–6 April 2008, where his Yokohama squad won in the finals, 57-14.On 24 July 2008, the Fiji Rugby Union announced the return of Serevi as Fiji's coach for the 2008-2009 IRB World Sevens Series and the Rugby Sevens World Cup in Dubai. At the time of the announcement, Serevi was in England receiving an honorary sports degree from Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
. Fiji Rugby Union chairman Keni Dakuidreketi denied that Serevi's selection was a result of the public clamor after the team's performance in the 2007-2008 World Sevens Series under coach Jo Savou. While in the UK Serevi played a game of rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
for UK Fiji in the Carnegie Floodlit 9s.
Despite his return, Serevi's team did not do well in the first two legs of the 2008-2009 World Sevens Series, losing in the semi-final both times to South Africa. Serevi also clashed with the Fiji Rugby Union over being left out of player selection duties. As a result, the FRU dismissed him on 29 January 2009. Iliesa Tanivula took over the post for the rest of the series.
In August 2009, the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football Union
Rugby union in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea is a tier three rugby union playing nation. They began playing international rugby union in 1966 and have yet to make the Rugby World Cup. Teams from Papua New Guinea have competed in the Commonwealth games....
hired Serevi to become their sevens development officer on a five-year contract. He was later tapped as the national sevens coach. However, on 27 March 2010, the union confirmed that the working relationship with Serevi was finished. Union president Richard Sapias said off-field decisions prompted the severing of relations,especially after PNG suffered humiliating losses at the Adelaide sevens. Serevi was also frequently seen with the Fijian team instead of the PNG squad.
2010 – present
Seeking a fresh start a few months after his departure from the PNG team, Serevi moved his family to the United States and settled in Seattle, Washington, to run a business with Fijian expatriates. He used his experience in rugby to open a new brand, the Serevi Rugby Nation, to help pool funds for Pacific Islander players and also run rugby training workshops for the youth. He also worked with the Old Puget Sound Rugby club, and helped Central Washington University qualify for the Collegiate Rugby Championships.Serevi said many times during his stay in the US that he wants to move one with his life. However, on October 6, 2011, Serevi flew home to Fiji and declared his availability to coach the team in qualifying for the 2013 Sevens World Cup
2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The 2013 Rugby Sevens World Cup, to be held in Moscow, Russia, will be the sixth edition of the Rugby World Cup Sevens. The International Rugby Board has stated that the Rugby World Cup Sevens will be scrapped if rugby sevens were to be included in the Olympic programme for the 2016 Summer Olympics...
and help the team qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Personal life
Serevi has a wife, Karalaini, whom he married in 1993. They have three children: daughters Una (born 1994) and Asinate (born 1995), and son Waisale Junior (born 2001). His wife works for the Fijian Defence Force, and Serevi spent large parts of his career away from his family. He was apart from them when in Japan between 1992 and 1997, although his family joined him in France between 1999 and 2004. He is a committed Christian, and along with his family attends Church regularly. On his boots, strapping, and jersey for every match Serevi has the words "Philippians 4:13" written. It is a reference to the biblical quote "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".Serevi learned Japanese while in Japan, and also taught English whilst there. Despite living in France for several years he did not learn French, and required an interpreter for interviews. Serevi's interests include listening to music, and watching movies. Apart from rugby, he also likes to play touch rugby and volleyball. Other interests include meeting people, and traveling the world.
On 18 May 2007, Serevi was appointed a Special Inspector with the Fiji Police Force by the acting Commissioner of Police Romanu Tikotikoca. The appointment is in youth and community policing. Serevi will not be a regular officer, but will be paid for the hours he works.
Achievements
Serevi has been inducted into the Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic CommitteeFiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee
The Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee was founded on 25 March 1949 and achieved International Olympic Committee recognition on 20 September 1955. It is responsible for entering Fiji representatives in the Olympic Games and the coordination and management of Fiji Teams to...
's Hall of Fame in 2005, and was named the Fiji Times 2005 Personality of the Year.
XVs
- Rugby World Cup tournaments: 1991, 1999, 2003
- Barbarians matches, versus: Scotland (2002), Leicester (2002 and 2003), London Irish (2003)
- World XV matches, versus: Leicester (1996 and 1997)
| Test statistics | |||||||||
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Tries Try A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area... | Conversions | Penalties Penalty (rugby) In rugby football, the penalty is the main disciplinary sanction available to the referee to penalise players who commit deliberate infringements. The team who did not commit the infringement are given possession of the ball and may either kick it towards touch , attempt a place kick at goal, or... | Drop goals | Points total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina Argentina national rugby union team The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Australia Australia national rugby union team The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
| Belgium Belgium national rugby union team The Belgium national rugby union team represents the third tier rugby playing nation of Belgium. They first played in 1930 and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Belgium is administered by the Belgian Rugby Federation... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Canada Canada national rugby union team The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the... |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Chile Chile national rugby union team The Chile national rugby union team is a rugby union nation representing Chile. They first played in 1935 and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Chile is administered by the Federación de Rugby de Chile... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| England England national rugby union team The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| France France national rugby union team The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams... |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ireland Ireland national rugby union team The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Italy Italy national rugby union team The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,... |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
| Japan Japan national rugby union team The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years... |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 19 |
| Namibia Namibia national rugby union team The Namibian rugby union team, nicknamed the Welwitschias or Biltongboere, represents Namibia at rugby union. Although they are a tier-three nation in the International Rugby Board tier system, the team have participated in all three Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 22 |
| Samoa Samoa national rugby union team The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was... |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Scotland Scotland national rugby union team The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011... |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 22 |
| 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... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spain Spain national rugby union team The Spain national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Spain, representing them at rugby union. Spain have been playing rugby since the late 1920s, playing their first international against Italy in 1929. They have qualified for one Rugby World Cup, in 1999 where they were pooled with... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Tonga Tonga national rugby union team The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa... |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 30 |
| Uruguay Uruguay national rugby union team The Uruguay national rugby union team is the representative side of Uruguay, governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay. They have been playing international rugby since 1948. Their jersey is blue and black and they are known as Los Teros. They qualified twice for the Rugby World Cup, in 1999 and... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 19 |
| USA United States national rugby union team USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Wales Wales 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... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Total | 37 | 15 | 0 | 22 | 11 | 38 | 25 | 3 | 211 |
Rugby sevens
Rugby World Cup Sevens
Serevi has played in all four Rugby World Cup Sevens (1993, 1997, 2001, and 2005). He won the tournament with Fiji in 1997 and 2005, and is the overall top points scorer with 297 points. He is also the second-top try scorer with 21 tries.Commonwealth and World Games
Serevi has competed in three Commonwealth GamesCommonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
; Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
in 1998, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in 2002, and Melbourne in 2006. With Fiji he won silver in 1998 and 2002, and bronze in 2006. Serevi led Fiji to gold in both the 2001 World Games
World Games
The World Games, first held in 1981, are an international multi-sport event, meant for sports, or disciplines or events within a sport, that are not contested in the Olympic Games...
in Japan, and the 2005 World Games in Germany.
IRB Sevens World Series
The following is a list of IRB Sevens tournaments Serevi has participated in as a player. He is the series' second highest points scorer overall with 1310 points (79 tries, 457 goals). The list excludes Hong Kong legs, these are listed separately below. Those years in bold indicate Fiji won the tournament.- AdelaideAdelaide SevensThe Adelaide Sevens is a rugby union sevens tournament, part of the IRB Sevens World Series. The competition is currently held at the Adelaide Oval, South Australia. The inaugural competition, the 2007 Adelaide Sevens, took place on 7 and 8 April and replaced the Singapore Sevens...
: 20072007 Adelaide SevensThe Adelaide Sevens, also known as the Australia Sevens, is played annually as part of the IRB Sevens World Series for international rugby sevens . The 2007 competition, which took place on 7 and 8 April, was played at the Adelaide Oval, South Australia... - Argentina : 2002
- Bordeaux : 2004, 2005
- Brisbane : 2000, 2002
- Chile : 2002
- China : 2002
- DubaiDubai SevensThe Dubai Sevens is an annual rugby union sevens tournament held in Dubai, UAE. Through the 2007 edition, it was held at the Dubai Exiles Rugby Ground, but in 2008 it moved to The Sevens, a new stadium built to host the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens. The 2009 competition took place between 3-5...
: 2005, 2006 - EdinburghEdinburgh SevensThe Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens, also known as the Edinburgh 7s and Scotland Sevens, is a rugby union sevens tournament, part of the IRB Sevens World Series, held at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, Scotland. It will have the honour of being the last event in each season's IRB Sevens...
: 20072007 Edinburgh SevensThe Edinburgh Sevens is played annually as part of the IRB Sevens World Series for international rugby sevens . The 2007 competition took place on 2nd and 3rd of June, and was held at Murrayfield. It was the last leg of the 2006-07 IRB Sevens World Series.New Zealand won the tournament after... - Fiji : 1999, 2000
- Japan : 2000
- GeorgeSouth Africa SevensSouth Africa Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held in South Africa each year. It is part of the IRB Sevens World Series.As of the 2010–11 series, 12 tournaments have been held in South Africa—one in Stellenbosch, two in Durban, and nine at the most recent location, George...
: 1999, 2005, 2006 - LondonLondon SevensThe London Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held at Twickenham in London each year. It is part of the IRB Sevens World Series. The current titleholders are Australia, who beat South Africa in the final at Twickenham on 23 May 2010.- External links :...
: 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 - ParisParis SevensThe Paris Sevens was an annual rugby union sevens tournament held in Paris, France as part of the World Sevens Series. It was last contested in 2006, and was effectively replaced by the new Scotland Sevens as of the 2006-07 season....
: 2006 - Wales : 2001
- SingaporeStandard Chartered Sevens SingaporeThe Singapore Sevens, known for sponsorship purposes as the Standard Chartered Sevens Singapore, was an annual rugby union sevens tournament held in Singapore as part of the World Sevens Series. It was last contested in 2006, and was effectively replaced by the new Australia Sevens as of the...
: 2006 - WellingtonWellington SevensThe Wellington Sevens or the New Zealand International Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held in Wellington, New Zealand. The tournament, the third on the IRB Sevens World Series circuit, is played at Wellington's Westpac Stadium in early February and includes teams from 16 countries...
: 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007 - USAUSA SevensThe USA Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held in the United States. A part of the IRB Sevens World Series, it currently takes place on Saturday and Sunday during the second weekend of February...
: 2006, 20072007 USA SevensThe 2007 Steinlager USA Sevens was a rugby union sevens tournament held on February 10 and February 11, 2007 in the United States at 44,500 capacity PETCO Park in San Diego, California. It is part of the IRB Sevens World Series...
Hong Kong Sevens
Results for all Hong Kong SevensHong Kong Sevens
The Hong Kong Sevens is considered the premier tournament on the IRB Sevens World Series in rugby sevens—a variant of rugby union....
tournaments since Serevi's first in 1989. Table includes Rugby World Cup Sevens
Rugby World Cup Sevens
The Rugby World Cup Sevens is the premier international Rugby sevens competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board , and is contested by the men's national sevens teams every four years. The inaugural tournament was held in 1993 in Scotland, the...
tournaments and IRB Sevens World Series
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...
legs.
| Year | Placing | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | losing semi-finalists | Player of the tournament |
| 1990 | Champions | Player of the tournament |
| 1991 | Champions | |
| 1992 | Champions | Player of the tournament |
| 1993 | Losing finalists | |
| 1994 | Losing semi-finalists | |
| 1995 | Losing finalists | |
| 1996 | Losing finalists | |
| 1997 | Champions | Tournament doubled as Rugby Sevens World Cup |
| 1998 | Champions | Player of the tournament |
| 1999 | Champions | |
| 2000 | Losing finalists | |
| 2001 | NA | Did not attend |
| 2002 | Losing finalists | |
| 2003 | NA | Did not attend |
| 2004 | NA | Did not attend |
| 2005 | Champions | Tournament doubled as Rugby Sevens World Cup |
| 2006 | Losing finalists | Serevi was player-coach |
| 2007 | Losing finalists | Serevi was player-coach |