Coral Coast Sevens organising committee chair and founder Jay Whyte has confirmed that Bread Bank Youth Sevens defending champions Southland Broncos will return to defend their McDonald’s Coral Coast 7s title on January 15-17.
“The Bread Bank Youth Sevens which will be another hard-fought division. Southland Broncos is coming back to defend their title against teams from around Fiji and overseas. It will be very exciting,” Whyte said.
Whyte said the 2025 tournament will see major changes, including the return to a 24-team men’s division.
The men’s competition started with 24 teams in 2010 and remained that way for the first four years before being reduced to 16. He said they are excited to bring back the bigger format.
To finalise the lineup, Whyte said the Super 7s tournament on December 6 will decide the last seven spots.
He added that 10 women’s teams will also feature in the competition, with official announcements to be made soon. Whyte promised a high-class international field.
The Bread Bank Youth Sevens competition is also set for another thrilling season, with teams from around Fiji and overseas expected to challenge the Southland Broncos.
Whyte said interest continues to grow as they make new announcements, including the McDonald’s Mike Friday Select Sevens team. Some names have already been released.
“We mentioned that Gillies Kaka is coming. We announced that David Dakuitoga is going to be the assistant coach working alongside Mike Friday. So yeah, lots and lots coming. We’re only two months away,” he said.
