Rugby World Cup quarter-finals: Fiji's French-trained head coach aims to down England

It is not just the cross channel sporting rivalry that will be at play, but because Fiji will be led by an adopted son.

It was in France that Fiji's Simon Raiwalui took his first steps in coaching and it is perhaps poetic that his crowning glory as a handler so far was back where it all began.

Things could get better yet for the giant-framed but softly-spoken former lock forward if his team reach the semi-finals, and a potential clash with the hosts.

Raiwalui has already guided Fiji to one of their greatest World Cup results with their stunning 22-15 victory over Australia in Pool C last month that proved crucial in sending the Flying Fijians into the knock-out stages.

A month before that, Raiwalui masterminded a first ever victory over England -- at Twickenham no less.

Now, Raiwalui is back in the country where his coaching journey began, and for many of those that knew him as a player and then coach in France, his success is no surprise.

Born in New Zealand and brought up in Australia, Raiwalui stayed true to his roots and represented Fiji 39 times as player.

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Standing at over two metres tall and weighing more than 120 kilogrammes in his pomp, Raiwalui's club career took him to Newport in Wales and Saracens in England before he ended it at Racing 92 in France.

"He was an incredible guy, an exemplary lock. Quiet, but he knew how to make himself understood," Jacky Lorenzetti, the businessman president of Racing, told AFP.

"Behind his gruff and granite appearance, he was very gentle, kind. People think nice people are weak, but he wasn't weak."

Raiwalui's knowledge and understanding of the game was quickly apparent.

"He was a worker, very respectful and