THE Fiji Airways Fiji 7s team is not under any pressure as the side flew out to New Zealand yesterday to defend the Hamilton 7s title this weekend.
Fiji is grouped with Wales, Australia and Argentina at the tournament.
Fiji 7s coach Gareth Baber said they won five tournaments last year, so they were going as defending champions to half of the tournaments this year.
“We don’t really focus on pressure in terms of the team culture; it is more about why we do it, who we do it for,” Baber said.
“It’s the responsibility we have rather than the outcome that we have got to go and attain.
“I know it may sound a bit strange but the reality is Fijian players are the best in the world when they are free to think and they are removed from distractions.
“My job as a coach is to prepare them physically, mentally as well; you get them in that space where they have that freedom and they don’t have to have that expectation.”
“There are times where you don’t do so well that you can respond but as an international athlete to keep consistency it is about putting in the same thing time and time again and making sure that you stay at that standard time.
“That’s what we talk about, linking it more to why they do it and who they do it for, their motivation behind that when you are in tough times to me is what really makes the difference.”
Fiji is third on the series points table behind second placed New Zealand and leaders United States of America.
The national side will kick off its Hamilton 7s campaign against Wales on Saturday.
Baber said they will treat every game as the final.
“Every game is tough especially on the first day of the first tournament,” he said.
“Obviously people will be looking first to start quickly, in a way that we need to carry on the tournament. Fijian teams do progress through and kick through the gears as we go through day one into day two. “There are some elements in the game that we want to get right mentally. We always say if we are going to get through to the finals and win a final then we got to play six finals along the way so we are very much focusing on getting that right.”
