Fijian rugby icon Jerry Tuwai rewrote world rugby 7s history yesterday by becoming the only player in the world to win two Olympic Games gold medal and a Rugby World Cup Sevens title.
He set the feat after helping Fiji win the RWC Sevens title in South Africa yesterday.
Tuwai is now the only 7s player in the world who has two Olympic Gold medals, a World Cup Sevens title and multiple World Rugby Sevens Series.
Fiji Rugby Union acting chief executive officer Sale Soprovaki thanked the team and Tuwai for the gallant effort.
“Amist the adversities the team faced, they rose above all challenges to win the Melrose Cup. They had good leadership from the coaches and senior players like Jerry who made all Fijians proud yesterday.”
Tuwai made his debut for Fiji at the 2014 Gold Coast Sevens. He was part of the Fiji Sevens team that won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
He was named World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year in 2019. Nother player who god Sorovaki’s praise was rugby league convert Iosefo Masi.
The former Holy Cross College student burst onto the local rugby scenes at the 2020 Marist 7s playing for Tabadamu.
Now two years later, he has an Olympic gold medal, is a Rugby World Cup winner and now gearing up for his first ever Super Rugby Pacific season with the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua next year.
Masi joined the national 7s squad after a 12 month stint with NRL club, the North- Queensland Cowboys and Fiji Rugby Union acting chief executive officer Sale Sorovaki said the Taveuni lad would be a real bolster to the playing roster for the Fijian Drua next season.”I think spectators in both codes, either union or league love to watch Masi play,” said Sorovaki.
“His time with the Cowboys did him good and it is shown in his physical prowess in both the physical and attacking aspects of Fiji’s game in the Rugby World Cup. He was a menace at the breakdowns and he worked hard to put his team mates into space so his selection into the Drua is a good one.”
