Fiji captain Waisea Nayacalevu pays a moving tribute to Josua Tuisova and shares his pride after grief-stricken star played on at the World Cup following the death of his young son

• Josua Tuisova’s son, Tito, passed away at Lautoka hospital late last month 
• Tuisova has chosen to play on at the World Cup despite his personal tragedy 
• Fiji captain Waisea Nayacalevu paid a moving tribute to his midfield partner 
• Latest Rugby World Cup 2023 news, including fixtures, live scores and results

Fiji captain Waisea Nayacalevu has paid a moving tribute to his inspirational midfield partner, Josua Tuisova, for playing on at this World Cup despite personal tragedy, after the death of his young son.

England’s quarter-final opponents confirmed their place in the knock-out stages with a bonus point in the shock defeat against Portugal in Toulouse on Sunday night. 

Afterwards, Toulon centre Nayacalevu revealed his admiration for Tuisova – who received the heart-breaking news late last month that seven-year-old Tito had passed away at Lautoka hospital in his south Pacific homeland.

Amid an out-pouring of sympathy from the rugby world and beyond, Fiji had initially closed ranks around their Racing 92 star and refused to discuss his devastating loss. But the captain has now spoken of how impressively Tuisova has coped with the shattering family ordeal.

‘Everyone was sad about the news and we have all been trying to look after him,’ said Nayacalevu. ‘He’s been sad, but he’s really strong. If it was me, I don’t know if I could do what he is doing. We keep on encouraging him and telling him he’s okay. He (Tuisova’s son) has gone to a better place. Life goes on.

Fiji’s Josua Tuisova chose to play on at the World Cup despite the death of his young son

Seven-year-old Tito sadly passed away at Lautoka hospital in Tuisova’s south Pacific homeland

‘He has managed that well and controlled it well – his emotions. I am proud of him and the sacrifice he has made for the team. He has stuck with us. Words can’t express how thankful I am to him for doing that for the team. If you were in his shoes then you would know – you would feel how he is.’

Fiji are sure to find an extra motivational dimension when they face England in Marseille on Sunday, due to a collective desire to honour Tuisova and his grieving relatives. 

But Simon Raiwalui’s squad will know they must improve markedly after a stuttering performance against the heroic Portuguese, when the basics of their game unravelled under pressure in the course of a shock 24-23 defeat.

According to Nayacalevu, the key is to move on quickly and play with freedom after achieving their tournament objective. ‘We have mixed emotion,’ he said. ‘We’re disappointed and happy at the same time. Disappointed because we lost the match but happy that we’ve qualified for the quarter-finals now.

‘My message to the boys and the team is that we flush this one out as fast as we can because there’s a big task ahead of us, which is England. We know how good they are and that’s why we need to move our focus on the next game.’

Captain Waisea Nayacalevu has paid a touching tribute to his inspirational team-mate

Fiji had initially closed ranks around Tuisova (left) and refused to discuss his devastating loss

Asked if Fiji had been gripped by anxiety in their tense contests against Georgia and Portugal – after the epic win over Australia, the skipper added: ‘You guys can see it. And we can feel it as well; the pressure. But I’m proud of the boys. We managed to keep fighting.

‘We’re glad we’ve made it to the quarters; that was our main goal when we were back in Fiji. Of course, it’s going to give a relief to the boys and I’m pretty confident because I know they’ll turn up on the day. Now we’re here, our main focus is going to be switched to next week’s game.’

This is the third time in their history that Fiji have made it through to the knock-out rounds and the last time they managed it was back in 2007, when France last hosted the World Cup. Nayacalevu was a young fan following events from thousands of miles away.

‘I was a very little boy then,’ he said. ‘I was watching it and cheering from the back. My heroes were Seremaia Bai and Seru Rabeni. I loved them. It is an honour to have him (Bai) in the team – helping with our preparation.’

Describing an encounter with England as ‘really special’, Nayacalevu noted how Fiji ‘are independent now’ – but was amused when it was pointed out that the Union flag is still present in the corner of the Commonwealth nation’s flag, saying: ‘It’s true – it’s still there!’

Tuisova has been crucial to Fiji at the tournament and scored a try in their win over Australia

He watched Samoa nearly upset England in Lille on Saturday and took note of their stirring efforts. Fiji will now do their homework on Steve Borthwick’s side, who they beat at Twickenham at the end of August – a result which is bound to give them confidence on Sunday. 

‘We will look at them again,’ said Nayacalevu. ‘We will see their weaknesses and plan for that. They’ve got a few!’

One area the Pacific islanders will target is the breakdown, where they will hope that their prolific poacher, La Rochelle flanker Levani Botia, can give them an advantage. 

‘He’s amazing,’ said Nayacalevu. ‘He’s a great athlete. Physical, dominant, we’re really lucky to have him.

‘If he was playing against Fiji, I don’t know… it would be very difficult. He’s a top-class player. He’s a big boost to our team. I’m proud to be his team-mate.’

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