Tamanivalu recalled to Fiji squad as injury forces Ravouvou out of PNC Final

Seta Tamanivalu has been recalled to the Flying Fijians squad for the Pacific Nations Cup Final against Japan in Tokyo after Fiji Rugby confirmed on Tuesday that centre Kalaveti Ravouvou had been ruled out through injury.

Ravouvou was forced off 55 minutes into Fiji’s 45-29 semi-final win over Canada in Osaka, with Tuidraki Samusamuvodre coming on as his replacement. Fiji Rugby confirmed via social media that he would take no further part in the competition, with Tamanivalu named as his direct replacement.

“Kalaveti Ravouvou has been ruled out due to injury and will be replaced by Seta Tamanivalu,” the official update read. “Wishing Ravouvou a smooth and speedy recovery, and all the best to Seta as he joins the squad.”

Tamanivalu brings considerable experience to the Fijian midfield. The former All Blacks centre built his club career in New Zealand with Taranaki and the Chiefs before winning back-to-back Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders. He moved to French club Bordeaux in 2018 and later joined Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo. He made his international debut for Fiji against Tonga in 2022 and returned to the fold during the 2025 PNC, scoring two tries across the first three matches of this year’s tournament before being left out of the squad for the semi-final.

Fiji’s path to the final has been emphatic. They defeated Tonga, Samoa and Canada in the group stage before a commanding semi-final performance that was effectively settled by half-time. Kitione Salawa opened the scoring after just 21 seconds, charging down a clearance and regathering to touch down near the right sideline. Frank Lomani added a second before Canada responded through Mason Flesch, but Fiji pulled away to lead 45-17 before Canada mounted a late consolation.

Japan, meanwhile, were equally dominant in their semi-final, racing to a 28-0 lead inside 16 minutes against the United States and ultimately running out 63-14 winners.

The two sides are no strangers to each other at this stage of the competition. Fiji claimed the 2025 PNC title with a six-point win over the Brave Blossoms in Utah, and captain Tevita Ikanivere acknowledged there is still room for improvement ahead of the rematch.

“We’re thrilled we got the win, got back to our winning ways, but there’s still a lot of things, opportunities we didn’t execute on today,” Ikanivere said. “I don’t think it will be good enough come next week. We need to be better at that. I think we need to be more physical at the beginning of the game to stop the opposition.”