IF Fiji get off to a flyer at the World Cup and beat Wales in Bordeaux today, then most of the credit will be due to their new coach Simon Raiwalui.
That's the view of the Welshman who used to put his arm around the 6ft 7in giant as part of the boilerhouse in the Newport scrum back in the day.
Now the 64-times capped, double Grand Slammer Ian Gough fears the work that Raiwalui has put into his former Test team as head coach could prove the difference between victory and defeat for them today.
Raiwalui, 49, has only been in charge of Fiji for 203 days after he was parachuted in to take over from Vern Cotter when he stepped down in February. What he has achieved in that small space of time has scared the life out of Gough.
“As a player, Simon was the sort of man you wanted to have in your side. When Newport were relegated from the top tier of club rugby in Wales I joined Pontypridd to play alongside Dale McIntosh,” said Gough.
“When Newport got back in the top-flight, and I saw Simon was joining, I wanted to be in the same pack as him. He was a talismanic, often frightening, figure on the field and now he is inspiring the Fijian players as a coach.”
In his five games in charge, the Fijians have beaten Tonga, Samoa and Japan, pushed France hard in Paris and beaten England for the first time in a wonder result at Twickenham. They go into today's game one place ahead of Wales in the world rankings in ninth and, argues Gough, probably favourites.
“I'm not sure who the bookies are making favourites, but there is a strong case for Fiji. That would probably suit Wales, because we always play better with our backs to the wall,” added Gough.
“Wales will have to be on point in defence. Shaun Edwards always used to bang on about plugging the small holes around rucks and mauls so as not to let anyone make small gains. That will certainly be the case in Bordeaux.
“If you give Fiji an inch they will offload behind their back and the second row will gallop 50 metres to score. That's the kind of pure rugby potential they possess.”
Gough knows all about the threats posed by the Fijians. He was a 65th minute replacement for Ian Evans in the infamous 38-34 defeat the last time the two teams met on French soil at the 2007 World Cup.
Nothing in his sporting life has compared to the pain Gough and his teammates felt that day in Nantes, not even the 16 hours it took him to once again complete the Wales Ironman in Tenby last weekend.
“I'm still sore from Tenby but the scars from 2007 haven't fully healed. I just hope the lessons from that terrible day have been learned,” he added. “We were too complacent going into that game. I'm sure Gatland won't allow that to happen again.”
