The challenging situation facing the Fiji Bati ahead of their World Cup opener against the Kangaroos has taken another bad turn following the hospitalisation of coach Joe Rabele.
The Bati coach fell ill soon after the team's arrival in England for the upcoming tournament, with former Leeds and Toronoto Wolfpack boss Brian McDermott taking the reins for last week's warm-up loss to England.
But with Rabele's recovery taking longer than expected, the coach took it upon himself to reach out to former national team star Wise Kativerata, asking him to fly in and take charge of the injury-affected squad just days out from the tournament.
Kativerata attended the tournament launch with Fijian captain Kevin Naiqama, confirming the news of his interim appointment.
โJoe is not well, but life goes on. The job must be done,โ Kativerata said, per NRL.com.
โJoe has been feeling sick and they asked me if I could come in and do his role. I'll take charge on Saturday with Brian and (the support staff).
โIf Joe comes back, we don't know. That doesn't change the way Kevin and the boys will prepare themselves. They're professional footballers.โ
The latest developments add to the challenges facing Fiji following the loss of St George Illawarra Dragons winger Mikaele Ravalawa, who was unable to overcome a hamstring injury upon his arrival in England. The team will also be without Pio Seci and Joseph Ratuvakacereivalu, who were injured in the warm-up game.
โWe have a few knocks, but we've got a good side, so we'll just focus on ourselves and when we play Australia we will see (how we go).
โRugby league is a simple sport, you keep the ball, you kick long, you force mistakes and when you have the opportunity you score.โ
