Fiji Rugby
Fiji set to replace Domoni
ESPNscrum Staff
October 19, 2011
Sam Domoni presided over a poor World Cup campaign from Fiji © Getty Images
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Fiji's Sam Domoni is set to become the first coach to lose his job for a poor performance in the Rugby World Cup.

The Fiji Rugby Union have been carrying out a review of the national team's World Cup campaign in which they lost to South Africa, Wales and Samoa in Pool D with their solitary victory coming over Namibia. And the FRU chairman Colonel Mosese Tikoitoga on Wednesday confirmed they would be advertising for the role of head coach.

''We want someone who can turn our players into a champion team, so that is the criteria we will put out,'' he told the Fiji Times. ''The position will have to be advertised, we need to access the best possible coach. They have to come in, sit down and be interviewed and we have to tell them what kind of players we need our players to be like, and they have to tell us whether they can coach the players to play a pattern of rugby or they can't."

Domoni's contract expires at the end of the World Cup and he is unlikely to be interviewed to retain the post.

''During the review by the board of control, one of the things that stood out was the coaching style used by the previous coaching staff," Tikoitoga said. "It's probably because the coaching staff was not experienced enough for the job."

Tikoitoga also suggested that future national squads would feature more home-based players after reports overseas players failed to listen to management, obey instructions or "give their heart for their nation".

''Another issue was the over-reliance on overseas-based players. In one of the interviews, it was evident from the frustration of our local players," he said. "Perhaps out of this report we will make a policy to ensure that our next teams are made up of 70 per cent local players and in whatever critical positions we need we can bring in overseas players.''

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