UNITED in defence, the Fiji Airways Fijiana 7s team will take on their pool contenders for the Vancouver 7s with the steadfast guidance of determination and the belief they will make a difference.
The Fijiana are pooled with the United States, Canada and Australia and while it may seem to be a formidable fixation of teams from the outset, there is a concerted effort within the team camp to emphasise how strength in numbers will prove instrumental.
Head coach Richie Walker, speaking from Canada in a virtual press conference yesterday, affirmed how their pool grouping was an evaluation of what they knew would unfold in reflection of the past to ready themselves for the weekend.
“We’re constantly reminding them that there’s only a couple of key areas and key moments that will make us not be in those positions to be in better positions,” Walker told Times Sport.
“It’s more about putting more of the positive stuff that they’re really good at and they’re really close.”
He mentioned how with the United States in their previous meeting in the Singapore 7s, they were pushed to the brink overtime.
“Like USA (United States), we pushed them to overtime in Singapore. France, we lost them in the end,” he revealed.
“Those games could have went our way and we show that to the girls and we show them if we had just done one or two things differently (of) what the outcomes could be.
“Because they take a lot out of these things when they perform if we don’t win that.”
While these learnings may have bene done in light of blunders made, he shared how optimism was still a driving force being powered strongly.
“But I also remind them that we put a lot of effort in too and it’s a combined effort.”
Fijiana 7s pool fixtures: Australia at 9.31am, USA at 12.57pm, Canada at 4.46pm.
