Marlborough Rugby has an exciting season ahead! Moving to the Regional 1 Tribute South West will definitely bring fresh challenges and opportunities playing new teams (except for local rivals Royal Wootton Basset RFC from Marlborough’s bygone years). The club has also attracted two very exciting new coaches to the Marlborough Coaching set-up under Director of Rugby, Elisi Vunipola. Halani Aulika has already been introduced and is known for his powerful presence in the front row. We now have great pleasure in introducing Sitiveni Sivivatu, bringing his experience and flair as well as his pedigree as a former All Blacks player.
Sitiveni’s impressive background speaks volumes. On his debut for the All Blacks in 2005 against his home country of Fiji, he scored four tries—a first for any debut player and nothing short of spectacular. Throughout his career, he played in 45 tests, proudly wearing the famous black jersey and amassing 29 tries.
At the age of 15, Sitiveni moved to New Zealand and attended Wesley College, the same school that produced another rugby legend, Jonah Lomu. It’s said that Marlborough’s Director of Rugby, Elisi Vunipola, was one of the few players who managed to bring Jonah down in a game.
Sitiveni played for Counties Manukau and then the Chiefs in Super Rugby. In 2011, he embarked on a new adventure with ASM Clermont Auvergne, where his electrifying speed and try-scoring abilities thrilled his European fans.
In 2016, after an amazing playing career, Sitiveni decided to hang up his boots. His final club was Castres.
Fast forward to 2024, and Sitiveni has chosen Marlborough Rugb y as the place to begin his next adventure as a Technical Adviser and Attack Coach. The club is thrilled to welcome him to the coaching team and hopes he enjoys being part of the Marlborough family. Howard Wilkinson, Club Chairman, explains, “The arrival of Sitiveni at this time in our great club’s continuing development is most welcome. He joins us at an auspicious time as our 1st XV is preparing for another season of regional rugby and our 2nd XV is looking for promotion having been Dorset & Wiltshire champions last season, and the 250 young players in our Colts and other age groups are eyeing another season of fabulous sport. Sitiveni will add another dimension to our preparation, our training, and our performance. We are very proud to have him as part of our club and welcome him to the Marlborough Rugby Community.”
The club eagerly anticipates the contributions he will make to the senior teams and the club as a whole. The U15s have already had an impromptu Q&A session with him, where they and their coaches had the opportunity to ask about his career. They truly appreciated the time he spent with them and his willingness to answer their questions.
Marlborough Cricket – results from last weekend (13-14 July)
