Selestino Ravutaumada, who was named man of the match after cutting England to shreds in Fiji’s 30-22 win at Twickenham at the weekend, is a winger with pace and power in his locker.
Having assisted in two tries against England on Saturday, the Fijian flyer is slated for a big showing in his maiden Rugby World Cup in France. Having also played Rugby League for the New Zealand Warriors in 2020, Ravutaumada is a versatile player with the ability to also feature at fullback. However, it appears he has made the right wing place his own.
The 23-year-old, who this year had a breakout season for the Fijian Drua club in their charge to the Super Rugby Pacific quarterfinals, is well-built with explosive leg drive and an eye for the line. The dreadlocked star is a powerful ball runner and extremely swift off the mark. He is also a strong presence aerially and as such is solid under the high ball.
The man nicknamed “Stino” by those closest to him has come a long way since his days as a boy in the village of Taveuni in Fiji. While born on the Pacific island, he was schooled at Rotorua Boys’ High School in New Zealand and played for the Chiefs’ U-18 side.
Drua’s head of athletic performance, Naca Cawanibuka, has said his team's star winger is a prime example of an athlete who has adapted to and benefited from being in the national team environment.
“'Stino' came in last year and it was his first season, which was quite hard for the young man, but a high performance setting has brought out the best in him,” Cawanibuka said.
Fiji are drawn in pool C with Australia, Wales, Georgia and Portugal. In 2019, Fiji failed to progress beyond the pool stages after finishing behind Wales and Australia. Four years on, they’ll get the chance to right the wrongs from Japan and qualify for the last 8.
Club: Fijian Drua
Previous club: New Zealand Warriors (Rugby League)
National caps: 22 (15 points)
Previous World Cup appearances: None
Club honours: Super Rugby Pacific quarter-finalists (2023)
TIMESLIVE WORLD CUP BUILD-UP PROFILES
Pools:
Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D
Star players:
Ardie Savea, New Zealand | Will Skelton, Australia | Johnny Sexton, Ireland | Antoine Dupont, France
All the World Cup pools and fixtures here
* The 2023 Rugby World Cup kicks off on 8 September and the final is on 28 October. TimesLIVE has been profiling all four of the pools and the star players.
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