FIJIANA 7s coach Saiasi Fuli is a restless man this weekend.
He knows that one mistake by his team in the Hamilton 7s in New Zealand will kick them out from the title run in the first tournament of the Oceania leg of the 2019-2020 HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series.
The former national halfback’s woe is the new world rugby order in the series where there will be no quarter-finals.
Instead teams have to work hard to win their pools after three matches.
“The format will see the pool winner going straight to the semi-finals, so every games is a final,” Fuli said.
“We have to bring our positive mindset into every game.”
Having raised from the tough life in Nabua, Suva, Fuli knows too well that he is heading into a do or die situation.
“There is no more pool game. It is like a final in every pool game.
The fittest and the strongest will survive.”
Fuli is mending the broken pieces of his combination from the Dubai and South Africa sevens last month.
While Hamilton is the first to try the new rule, it is also the first time for the women to play alongside their male counterparts on a ground which has been Fiji’s lucky hunting ground since the tournament shifted from Wellington in 2017.
And it will not be easy for Fuli. He has China, England and the hosts who are the world champion to overcome in front of what is expected to be a Fijians-filled FMG Waikato Stadium in Hamilton this weekend.
“We have the invitation China. They are very good. They are playing well in the Asia competition and they are trying to qualify for the Olympics. We also have England and New Zealand. They played in the quarter-finals in Cape Town and it ended in a sudden death. It showed the quality of teams we are playing with in this competition.”
The Fijiana 7s team departed Nadi yesterday morning and are expected to have a scrimmage session this morning to prepare for the tough pool ahead.
