Michael Byrne Appointed as New Head Coach for the FIJI Water Flying Fijians

With great pleasure, the Fiji Rugby Football Union Trust Board (Fiji Rugby Union) announces that Michael Gerard Byrne, also known as Mick, has agreed to take on the role of Head Coach for the FIJI Water Flying Fijians.

Fiji Rugby decided to name Mick after a thorough and demanding selection and negotiation process. Yesterday, April 15, 2024, the Department for Immigration officially approved Mick’s application for a long-term work permit.

With extensive international coaching experience gained from coaching at the Test match level with Scotland, Japan, the Wallabies, and the All Blacks, Mick is the current head coach of the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua.

With a coach of Mick’s calibre, who was a member of three Rugby World Cup winning teams, Fiji Rugby is thrilled. The advancement and successes of the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua attest to Mick’s profound knowledge of and passion for Fijian rugby. With the approval of the Drua Management, Mick joins Fiji Rugby and will play his remaining Super Rugby Pacific games with the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua. He will also be in charge of the FIJI Water Flying Fijians’ preparations for the All Blacks test, the Barbarians, the July tests, and the end-of-year European Tour.

This statement could not have happened without the Department of Immigration accepting Mick’s application and issuing him a long-term Fiji Work Permit. Fiji Rugby felt that Mick needed enough time to get independent legal counsel. Ensuring compliance with Fiji’s immigration regulations and meeting World Rugby’s selection standards is imperative, as governed by an agreement signed in May 2023 by World Rugby, the Fijian government, Fiji Rugby, and ONOC.

The decision to name Mick Byrne as the head coach of the FIJI Water Flying Fijians is in the best interests of Fiji Rugby, according to a meeting held in Suva with representatives from World Rugby, ONOC, Hon. Siromi Turaga, Minister for Justice, Hon. Jese Saukuru, Minister for Youth and Sports, and Fiji Rugby, represented by the Board of Trustees and Cathy Wong, was made.

World Rugby explained that Fiji is in a strong position to compete in the Nations Championship from 2026 to 2030 as a result of the FIJI Water Flying Fijians’ performance and rating at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. If the best qualified and experienced coaches are not appointed to Fiji’s high-performance national teams, it will be detrimental to Fiji’s participation in the Nations Championship, the 2024 Olympics, the Super Rugby Pacific, the 2027 Rugby World Cup, and the remainder of the HSBC SVNS Series in Singapore and beyond.

Fiji is scheduled to compete in a 12-team Tier 1 competition that consists of the Six Nations, the SANZAR teams, Japan, and Fiji. That is an enormously important opportunity for all Fijians, the Fijian government, and Fiji Rugby. It ensures playing competitively at a high level and maybe hosting five or six test matches annually against Tier 1 nations between 2026 and 2030.

There is a huge chance that World Rugby will continue to fund Fiji’s High-Performance Unit and its initiatives, giving Fiji the means to be ready for and participate in the Nations Championship. World Rugby emphasised that Fiji’s regular participation in Tier 1 matches as opposed to Tier 2 matches will only occur if the organization’s investment in Fiji Rugby’s High-Performance is safeguarded by the appointment of the top coaches to lead Fiji’s national teams through a rigorous, equitable, transparent, and independent process.

The preparation of all Fijian coaches for international positions in the XVs and 7s contexts was another topic of debate. The Fiji Rugby and World Rugby Boards of Trustees have pledged to fund a coach development programme that will expand the pool of potential Fijian-based coaches capable of taking on such positions. The programme will also provide these coaches with exposure to various opportunities, whether they are in Fiji through education and development or abroad with other High-Performance unions and clubs.

In 2023, Fiji Rugby’s overall revenue was composed of 50% corporate sponsorships and other sources, 32% World Rugby grants, and 18% Fiji government revenue.

On Thursday, April 18, 2024, Mick will visit Suva, Fiji, to speak with the media, respond to inquiries, outline his goals, and present the group he has selected to coach the FIJI Water Flying Fijians in the upcoming Rugby World Cup cycle.

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