Local coach to lead Bulikula

A local coach will be named today to guide the Fiji Bu­likula side to their first Rugby League World Cup in Oc­tober in less than 50 days.

Fiji National Rugby League (FNRL) chairman Rajesh Singh told SUNsports the successful candidate is a local who was one of six applicants, with four short­listed.

"Of the six, one was from the UK, and the rest were local," Sin­gh said.

"The four interviewed also in­cluded former Bulikula coach Joe Rabele."

He also confirmed the success­ful candidate is a former Fiji Bati player who will be assisted by an overseas coach.

"He did really well in his pres­entations and everything. He was very well equipped, with very much knowledge," he said.

Singh was tight-lipped on wheth­er Rabele would retain the role.

The selection panel included Fiji Bati head coach Mick Potter, Fiji National Sports Commission representative Joji Liga, a repre­sentative from Pherrus Financial Services and FNRL board mem­ber Sitiveni Vuniyayawa.

"Everything was about experi­ence, because this was done by the panel," Singh said. candidate to the FNRL board, with all directors endorsing the appointment.

Singh said FNRL had full confi­dence in the new coach and was looking forward to working with him and his coaching team.

"We have full faith in this coach, we know that he was in the coach­ing panel before, and followed Fiji Bati, and he will be very good," he said.

"He's got good people around him too," he said.

"He's got good coaches like, Shane Morris from Redcliffe Dol­phins and Tony Herman from Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. So, he's got a very good coach­ing staff and management with him."

The Bulikula are drawn in Pool B with New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and France.

They secured their historic spot by winning the World Series qual­ifier, defeating Nigeria 62-4 in the final.

Fiji will face New Zealand on Oc­tober 18, PNG on October 24 and France on October 31.

Meanwhile, Rabele had been coaching the Bulikula through the RLWC qualifiers in Canada, where they qualified for the first time. His coaching contract had expired, and he re-applied for the job, which was advertised on Au­gust 1.