In Paris while Samoa found its rhythm and France came back to its old form, Scotland shocked the mighty Blitzbokke and winners of the Singapore 7s Canada to top its pool. Fiji had a jittery and perhaps the worst possible start after being mesmerised by a spirited Samoan outfit who gave everything they had in their engine tank. A muscular effort was required at breakdown and this is exactly what the Samoans delivered. Laxity on our part and individual decisions backfired as Samoa stole the victory after time was up. I wonder what would have happened had we kicked the ball out rather than go for the try that resulted in the penalty and killer blow that relegated Fiji to 2nd.
However, Fiji was looking to finish on a high and came back geared up. The Russians felt the full brunt of the shocker to Samoa conceding 8 tries. Fiji concluded day 1 against Australia, which was also on the receiving end. Despite a good start the Aussies lacked the killer instinct to match Fiji’s firepower and armory in the likes of Mocenacagi, Kunavula, Nacuqu and Nasoko. The ferocity of our hits took out the flames from the Aussies and Russians and this is exactly what is needed if we are to stamp a mark in Paris and London. Our players have the skills and speed. They need to use their vision when making decisions and this is where our players need to lift their bar and performance.
It was a tough day in Paris. The series is getting tougher and competitive. However, our boys thrived in the French atmosphere concealed with some credible noise. After the completion of pool play Fiji has scored 212 tries compared with South Africa’s 201. We have amassed 1350 points compared with the table toppers 1250. Hence, the future is not that gloomy. Wananavu boys! As I conclude, I congratulate the boys from the Garden Island for winning the Fiji Bitter Nawaka 7s defeating Uluinakau Babaas. I also pay tribute to the Crusaders team for bombarding Hurricanes. Their match against the Chiefs in Suva looks promising and is going to be a thriller. Finally, congratulations to Chelsea for winning the EPL. Saturday turned beautiful for Master Navin and Jim Seru, Shakil and Manoj Kumar (Australia).
