Virimi Vakatawa

Virimi Vakatawa
Vakatawa with Racing 92 in 2012
Birth nameVirimi Vakatawa
Date of birth (1992-05-01) 1 May 1992 (age 32)
Place of birthRangiora, New Zealand
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Weight99 kg (218 lb)[1]
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre, Wing[1]
Current team Bristol Bears
Youth career
Naluwai RC[2]
Nasinu Secondary School[2]
2010–2011 Racing 92[5]
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011–2013 Racing 92 44 (45)
2017-2022 Racing 92 101 (200)
2023- Bristol Bears 16 (20)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016–2022 France[3] 31 (50)
National sevens team
Years Team Comps
2014–2017 France[4] 82

Virimi Vakatawa (born 1 May 1992) is a New Zealand-born French professional rugby union player who plays as a centre or a wing for Bristol Bears and the French national team.

Arriving in France in 2010 and having obtained a French passport, he joined the France sevens team in 2014 before playing for the France national rugby union team since 2016 and the Six Nations Championship.

In September 2022, he suddenly retired from professional rugby due to a heart condition. On 27 September 2023, it was confirmed that he was returning to Rugby after signing for Bristol Bears.

Early life

Vakatawa was born in Rangiora, New Zealand on 1 May 1992, before moving to Naluwai, Fiji, his family village in Naitasiri Province. He holds Fijian citizenship and started rugby with his hometown club at 9 years old.[6] He then joined Nasinu Secondary School, a famous rugby playing school in Fiji.[2] He played both rugby league and rugby union before joining the Fiji national under-19 rugby union team at 17 years old.[7]

Club career

Vakatawa was spotted and recruited by France-based Fijian winger Sireli Bobo, joining Racing Métro 92 in 2010.[8] He was mentored by another former flying Fijian in Simon Raiwalui. He played his first game in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup where he scored his first try against Leinster.[9]

On 13 June 2017, it was confirmed that he would be rejoining Racing 92 for the 2017–18 season.[10]

He ended the 2018–19 Top 14 season as the top try-scorer for the competition with 13 tries.[11]

He lost in final with his team in the 2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup and the 2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup.[12][13]

On 5 September 2022, Racing 92 unexpectedly announced that Vakatawa was forced to retire from professional rugby, with immediate effect, due to a cardiac pathology.[14][15]

On 27 September 2023, English premiership side Bristol Bears announced that Vakatawa had signed a contract "until the end of the 2023/24 season". This after a panel of experts in sports cardiology cleared him to play professional rugby.[16]

International career

In 2013, Vakatawa became eligible to represent France. He was released from his contract by Racing 92 and joined the French sevens team. He became a star in rugby sevens for France and played at 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[6]

He won the 2014 Rugby Europe Sevens Grand Prix Series and the 2015 Rugby Europe Sevens Grand Prix Series with the France sevens team, and was chosen in the 2015-16 World Rugby Sevens Series dream team.[17]

On 19 January 2016, Vakatawa was named in France's rugby union squad for the Six Nations Tournament by Guy Novès. He has been labelled as the French answer to All Black Sonny Bill Williams.[18] He made his debut against Italy scoring a try.[19]

On 24 May 2016, Vakatawa signed a two-year deal with the FFR so that he would exclusively play for the French 7s and 15s national teams.[20]

In October 2016, he was included again in the French 15's team even though he has yet to play for a Top 14 team. He played his first game on the wing against Samoa, scoring three tries. He played a week later against Australia scoring a try in their 23-25 loss. He partnered Noa Nakaitaci on the wings and was renamed alongside Noa in their final test of the year against New Zealand.[21] He was also named in the French 7's team for the 2016 Dubai Sevens a week later and won the first-ever DHL Impact Player of the Tournament award.[22] With France, he finished in the third place in the 2017 Six Nations Championship.[23]

On 13 June 2017, it was announced that Vakatawa and the Federation had agreed to release him from his contract so that he could be able to find a club and play rugby union full-time.[10] As part of this new deal however, he would still be available for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens in the Bay Area but was ultimately not called up in the squad.[24] He played his last game with the France sevens team at the 2017 Paris Sevens and was never called up to the team again.[25]

In 2019, he played with France at the Rugby World Cup in Japan, scoring two tries in three games.[26]

Vakatawa finished second with France national team again in the 2020 Six Nations Championship and the 2021 Six Nations Championship.[27][28]

International tries

# Date Venue Opponent Result
(FRA–Opponent)		 Competition
1. 6 February 2016 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Italy
23–21
 2016 Six Nations Championship
2. 12 November 2016 Stadium Municipal, Toulouse, France  Samoa 52–8 2016 November test series
3.
4.
5. 19 November 2016 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Australia
23–25
 2016 November test series
6. 11 March 2017 Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy  Italy
40–18
 2017 Six Nations Championship
7. 6 October 2019 Kumamoto Stadium, Kumamoto, Japan  Tonga
23–21
 2019 Rugby World Cup
8. 20 October 2019 Ōita Stadium, Ōita, Japan  Wales
19–20
9. 31 October 2020 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Ireland
35–27
 2020 Six Nations Championship
10. 22 November 2020 Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland  Scotland
22–15
 2020 Autumn Nations Cup

Playing style

Vakatawa is very versatile, being comfortable at the centre and at the wing, even if he prefers to play as a centre.[26][29] He was progressively moved at the outside centre by his former Racing 92 backs coach Laurent Labit, who then coached him in the France national team.[1] Virimi Vakatawa is regarded as possessing high pace, power and intelligence.[30][31] His offloads passes are also very praised and he is renowned for his acceleration, footwork, vision and creativity to find spaces and exploit gaps in defences.[26]

Personal life

Vakatawa obtained French nationality after learning French language and France national anthem La Marseillaise.[32]

His cousin is Fijian-born French international rugby union player Noa Nakaitaci.[21]

Honours

Racing 92

France

France 7's

References

  1. ^ a b c d Coudry, Arnaud (16 January 2020). "Racing 92: pourquoi Virimi Vakatawa n'a pas d'équivalent en France". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Tuilevuka, Nacanieli (8 May 2018). "All Started In Naluwai For Vakatawa, Nakataci". Fiji Sun. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Virimi VAKATAWA : profile and stats". All.Rugby. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Virimi VAKATAWA - Player statistics - international stats". It's Rugby. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  5. ^ Pratdessus, Valérie (6 January 2021). "La magnifique ascension de Virimi Vakatawa (Racing 92)". Le Quotidien du Sport (in French). Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Virimi Vakatawa - Racingmen". Racing 92 (in French). Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  7. ^ Labbe, Sylvain (13 May 2016). "Vakatawa: " Les Jeux, j'y pense depuis longtemps "". sports.fr (in French). Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  8. ^ Salalo, Sereana (29 December 2021). "Sireli Bobo Uses French Connection In Deals". Fiji Sun. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Leinster thrash Racing to book home quarter-final". ESPN. 21 January 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Virimi Vakatawa retourne au Racing 92". L'Équipe (in French). 13 June 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  11. ^ Plazanet, Julien (27 June 2019). "Le palmarès des meilleurs marqueurs". Rugbyrama (in French). Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  12. ^ Henson, Mike (12 May 2018). "Leinster beat Racing 92 15-12 to secure fourth title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  13. ^ Henson, Mike (17 October 2020). "Champions Cup: Exeter beat Racing 92 31-27 to lift first Champions Cup title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  14. ^ Heagney, Liam (6 September 2022). "'I didn't feel any symptoms': Vakatawa explains shock retirement". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  15. ^ Dubernet, Maxime (6 September 2022). "Virimi Vakatawa met un terme à sa carrière en raison d'un problème cardiaque". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  16. ^ "Bears sign world-class Virimi Vakatawa!". 27 September 2023.
  17. ^ Perrin, Thibault (23 May 2016). "VIDEO. Sevens World Series. Virimi Vakatawa dans l'équipe type de la saison". Le Rugbynistère (in French). Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  18. ^ Gavin Mortimer (13 February 2016). "Virimi Vakatawa: France's new wing wonder". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  19. ^ Page, Ben (8 February 2016). "France 23 - Italy 21: Virimi Vakatawa up and running in Six Nations opener". Daily Express. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Virimi Vakatawa prolonge avec la FFR de deux saisons". L'Équipe (in French). 24 May 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  21. ^ a b "Virimi Vakatawa, l'oiseau rare". FFR.fr (in French). 31 December 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  22. ^ "Dubai 7s - Virimi Vakatawa". World Rugby. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  23. ^ Aylwin, Michael (18 March 2017). "France stun Wales by snatching win amid 100th-minute madness". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  24. ^ "France 7 : Le groupe pour la Coupe du monde". FFR.fr (in French). 9 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  25. ^ Poussin, Antoine (31 May 2019). "FLASHBACK - Quand Vakatawa enflammait le Paris Sevens en 2017 ! [VIDÉO]". Le Rugbynistère (in French). Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  26. ^ a b c Rendell, Sarah (13 March 2021). "Who is Virimi Vakatawa: Ten things you should know about the France centre". Rugby World. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  27. ^ "Six Nations 2020: England win title after France beat Ireland". BBC Sport. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  28. ^ Kitson, Robert (26 March 2021). "Wales crowned Six Nations champions as France lose at the death to Scotland". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  29. ^ Loubière, Timothée (26 April 2018). "Virimi Vakatawa (Racing) : "Je préfère jouer au centre qu'à l'aile"". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  30. ^ "STATSports | Who are the fastest players at the Rugby World Cup 2019?".
  31. ^ Westerby, John (30 January 2020). "Why France's Virimi Vakatawa is one of the game's most dangerous centres". The Times. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  32. ^ Coudry, Arnaud (20 January 2016). "Qui est Vakatawa, le "phénomène" du VII appelé en équipe de France ?". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 5 July 2022.

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