He did not go to high school as he left school after finishing class eight to focus on his rugby career. He left for Suva after a few years and there he played for the Suva development side before playing for City Eagles. He was spotted one day by former Fiji 7's coach Waisale Serevi who included him in the sevens team to the 2011 Pacific Games. [2] After returning, he was included in the Fiji team for the 2012–13 IRB Sevens World Series; an injury ruled him out for most of the season but he was included in the Fiji team for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens. [3] Botia also played in the Digicel Cup for his province, Namosi and he even took his side to the semi-final in 2013. He captained the national 7's team in some tournaments. Hooker Robbie Smith, flanker Aaron Hinkley and scrum-half Tom James are also promoted into the starting XV. Alex Mitchell drops to the bench in the aftermath of a defeat by Gloucester but 20-year-old Fin Smith, who signed from Worcester in October, remains in the team and makes his Champions Cup debut. A lot of the other clubs got hit during Covid and for us as a club we are being hit now. I have got a growing family and I have got to put them first at times. That is what made it so hard to leave Chiefs; how much I love the club, I love the coaches, I love everything about it but I have got to look after my family.

Laporte resigned from his position as French Rugby Federation president in January after being found guilty of favouritism in awarding a shirt sponsorship contract for the national side to Mohed Altrad, Montpellier's billionaire owner. Northampton Saints: Furbank; Ramm, Proctor, Dingwall, Freeman; Smith, James; Waller, Smith, Hill, Salakaia-Loto, Ribbans, Coles, Hinkley, Ludlam (c). Kolbe, who scored the Springboks' final try in their 32-12 victory over England in the Japan 2019 showpiece, says the players are fully aware of the importance of a record fifth European crown to one of French rugby's powerhouses.La Rochelle: Dulin: Leyds, Seuteni, Danty, Boudehent; Hastoy, Kerr-Barlow; Wardi, Bourgarit, Atonio, Lavault, Skelton, Bourdeau, Tanga, Alldritt. Exeter face London Irish on the final day of the regular domestic season this coming weekend. At the end of an inconsistent domestic campaign, which will end up short of the play-offs, the best they can hope for is a fifth-place finish. It is yet to be officially confirmed that he will join Ronan O’Gara’s squad and Nowell remained coy on the subject but saluted the “unbelievable” atmosphere that the La Rochelle fans generated in Bordeaux. That said, the England wing is eager to play against Irish in one last outing with Exeter. In a few days, the trophy is no longer ours. But we want to show that this victory was not a coincidence, that our title is deserved." Northampton's pool-stage campaign consists of home and away matches against Munster before a return fixture against La Rochelle in January. What they say:

Test rugby's most capped player in former Wales and British and Irish Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones made the final appearance of his career on Saturday as Toulon edged Clermont 30-27 for their first win at the Stade Marcel-Michelin in eight years. Nowell, who made his senior debut for Exeter in 2012, captained the club on Sunday as they went down 47-28 to La Rochelle in the semi-final of the Champions Cup. After defeat in Bordeaux, the Cornishman explained that his love for the Devon club had made it extremely difficult to part ways with them. Australian second row Will Skelton, who lifted the trophy with Saracens in 2019 , paid tribute to O'Gara's coaching style. While Toulouse have a long and glittering history in continental rugby's top club competition, La Rochelle are final novices.La Rochelle lie fourth in the Top 14, but have hit a patch of indifferent form with three losses in their past five matches. I think we've started our season now, it will do us a lot of good, it was an important victory," O'Gara told broadcaster Canal+. The 34-year-old Botia was unheard of when he was recruited by La Rochelle, then newly promoted to the Top 14, nine years ago. He has been at the upwardly mobile club on the French Atlantic coast ever since, helping them win the Champions Cup last season. He was a centre for Fiji in the last two World Cups, and joined La Rochelle in that position, but for the second half of this season he has switched to flanker, having played there regularly in 2017 and 2018, and that’s how he will line up against Exeter. France winger Damian Penaud made his first Bordeaux-Begles start after his move from Clermont as ex-New Zealand scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow captained La Rochelle, two-time Champions Cup holders under former Ireland fly-half O'Gara.

Elsewhere, Montpellier appointed controversial former France head coach Bernard Laporte as director of rugby hours after the 23-16 loss to Perpignan left the 2022 champions bottom of the table. I remember experiencing losses. It wasn’t on stages like this, but in the Premiership. It was very different at the time and that made me a better player. The club are in very good hands, I know there are a few big names leaving but that only creates a few more names to become big in a Chiefs shirt.”

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Skelton, who is 6ft 8in tall and weighs more than 19st, revealed he had been publicly rebuked by O'Gara over his conditioning on joining the team in 2020. Will Skelton, now with La Rochelle, lifted the Champions Cup with Saracens in 2019 I am quite an open person,” Nowell said. “I like to get my family out and experience different things. Exeter is all I know so to come and experience something else, if I come to La Rochelle or not, is going to be an unbelievable one and one will be very excited for. Penaud's outfit led 9-8 at the break thanks to three penalties from his Test and club team-mate Matthieu Jalibert, while hooker Pierre Bourgarit crossed from a rolling maul for the hosts. Deciding to leave Chiefs was one of the hardest positions I have ever been in,” said Nowell, who has recently welcomed his third child. “But if I am honest, during the Covid times the club decided to look after us and our families and like we are seeing with every Premiership club there comes a time when wage does come into it. He made his International debut for the Fiji against Portugal and scored a try on debut. [5] He then played again for Fiji a week later against the Barbarians, a centennial match for Fiji to celebrate 100 years of rugby in Fiji.