Seru Rabeni

Seru Rabeni

South Africa vs Fiji during 2007 Rugby World Cup
Full name	Ratu Seru Raveive Rabeni
Date of birth	(1978-12-27)27 December 1978
Place of birth	Bua, Fiji
Date of death	15 March 2016(2016-03-15) (aged 37)
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	106 kg (16 st 10 lb)
School	Nadi District, Ratu Kadavulevu, Lautoka Teachers
University	Otago University
Notable relative(s)	Rupeni Caucaunibuca (cousin)
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Centre, Wing
Professional / senior clubs
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1998–1999 2000 2002 2002 2003 2004 2004–2009 2009–2010 2010–2012 2012-2013	Lautoka Suva Alhambra Otago Naitasiri Otago Leicester Leeds La Rochelle Mont-de-Marsan	7 7 2 63 19 41 9	(5) (5) (0) (90) (5) (15) (0)
Super Rugby
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2003–04	Highlanders	11	(15)
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2000–2011 2004–2008	Fiji Pacific Islanders	30 9	(10) (19)
Sevens national teams
Years	Club / team		Comps
1998-2002	Fiji		13

Ratu Seru Raveive Rabeni (27 December 1978 – 15 March 2016) was a Fijian rugby union player. He played as a centre or wing.

Rabeni was renowned in both club and international level for his physicality and bone crunching tackles, earning him the nickname "Rambo".^[1]

Career

Early career

Rabeni was born and raised in Bua, Fiji, and played rugby union since his early schooldays at Ratu Kadavulevu School. He first played provincial rugby for Lautoka in 1998–99 while studying at Lautoka Teachers College, before moving on to the capital's club Suva in 2000. Rabeni made his Sevens debut in Dubai in 1998, playing in two Hong Kong Sevens tournaments. He played at both U21 and U23 level for Fiji before making his test debut in May 2000 against Japan in Tokyo during the Epson Cup tournament. An ankle injury saw him miss the remainder of the tournament.

In 2001, Rabeni took up a three-year degree course at the University of Otago, New Zealand, and the following year played 7 games for Otago in the National Provincial Championship before gaining a Super 12 contract with Highlanders for whom he played a dozen games over the 2003 and 2004 season.

Europe

Rabeni signed for English club Leicester Tigers shortly after being named in the Pacific Islanders squad. Rabeni made a bright start to his Leicester career scoring eight tries in as many appearances. He then suffered serious knee injuries which forced him to miss the rest of that and the whole of the subsequent season.

In 2009 he was signed up by fellow Guinness Premiership team Gloucester on a 3-year deal.^[2] However, in August the deal fell through when he failed a medical.^[3] After this move fell through, he went on and signed for newcomers Leeds Carnegie.^[4]

In 2010 he signed for French newcomers in Top 14 Stade Rochelais. Rabeni's final professional rugby signing was Stade Montois for the 2012-13 season when they were promoted to the Top 14.

International

Rabeni toured New Zealand with Fiji in 2002, and the same year played Wales at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. He appeared for Fiji Sevens in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

In 2003 Rabeni toured with the national side to South America, scoring a try in the 41–16 victory over Chile in Santiago.

In 2004 Rabeni played in all three games for the newly formed Pacific Islanders, scoring a try against New Zealand in Albany and 2 conversions against South Africa in Gosford. Rabeni played for the Pacific Islanders numerous times and was one of a few players to go on every tour, in 2004, 2006 and 2008. He scored 3 tries and 2 conversions.

Rabeni started all four of Fiji's pool games in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, playing at centre in the games against France and the USA in Brisbane, Japan in Townsville and Scotland in Sydney.

Rabeni represented Fiji in the 2007 World Cup in France playing in all 4 Pool B games and the quarterfinals. He demonstrated his tackling ability against Australia, injuring two of their players.^[5] He was also instrumental in the Pool B decider helping Fiji beat Wales 38–34 and reach the quarterfinals for the 2nd time since 1987. He ended the cup with only one try, against Japan in their opening game.

Coaching career

During the summer 2013, Rabeni moved to the United States to become an Assistant Coach for the college rugby team of Lindenwood University in Saint Louis, Missouri.^[6]

In September 2014, Rabeni then moved to Hong Kong to be with his partner and daughter^[7] where he was focusing on completing his Masters in Sports Marketing & Business Management (distance learning with UCLan, UK) that led to the Head Coach position of the Discovery Bay Pirates focusing on youth (U13s to U19s) and was set as a player coach for the Pirates Championship team.^[8] He was to work alongside Craig Hammond of Hong Kong Scottish where he would have likewise played for this premiership team.^[9]

Hong Kong National League

In 2014-2015 season, Rabeni was Head Coach/Player for Hong Kong's largest rugby club DB Pirates 1st and 2nd XV. His last professional appearance in March 2015 was with the Hong Kong Scottish Exiles in the HK Rugby 10s reaching the Cup Semi Finals. For the 2015-16 season, DB Pirates set-up a Chief Rugby Officer position for Rabeni sponsored by HKRFU with comments in the HK rugby community that he was on track to become HK's next National Coach. Rabeni visited Fiji in June 2015 to try and qualify for the World Cup one last time.^[10] Unfortunately, he was delayed in returning to Hong Kong to take up the HKRFU position due to ongoing financial issues with his own transport business in Fiji. His tragic and unexpected passing coincided with the week he planned to return to Hong Kong where he had lined up corporate speaking events for the 2016 HK Rugby 7s.

Death

In the morning of 15 March 2016, Rabeni suddenly died while having breakfast at his home in Nausori, Fiji. The cause of death was heart failure (suspected viral cardiomyopathy). Rabeni developed flu symptoms and shortness of breath from December 2015, but brushed off his symptoms as just flu.^[11][12]

See also

• List of rugby union players banned for eye gouging

References

External links

• Leeds profile
• Tigers profile
• Fiji profile
• Pacific Islanders profile
• Scrum profile