Tabua, who also played for Fiji during his career, takes over from New Zealander Wayne Pivac, who resigned to return home for family reasons.

The 42-year-old Tabua, known in his playing days as the Human Skewer', said he did not feel anxious about the limited time he will have to work with the team before the World Cup in France.

"I think Fiji's in a strong position and I believe it doesn't matter who's head coach, the important thing is that things are in place on the ground," Tabua said after his appointment was announced.

"Rugby's a running game, and that's what we're good at, so obviously I'm going to be working on improving this aspect particularly."

Fiji Rugby Union chairman Keni Dakuidreketi said Tabua was contracted until the end of the World Cup this year.

Tabua, who earned his nickname because of his ferocious tackling, played in the World Cup for Australia in 1995 and in the Fiji side in the following tournament in 1999.

Most recently he was head coach of Fiji's high-performance unit and helped Pivac with the national team.

Tabua’s first task will be to guide Fiji through the Pacific Nations Cup.

FRU HPU general manager Peter Murphy believes this is an important move for Fiji Rugby.

"Tabua’s got a good work ethic and the fact that he’s played at such a high level and has attained his IRB Level 3 and Level 4 accreditation makes him the perfect choice," Murphy said.