It’s a known fact that every time the Fiji 7s team sets foot on the world stage, fans across the world expect nothing less than a victory and mount Fiji as clear favourites and unstoppable.
We are viewed as the kings of the shortened form of rugby with natural fl air, spellbinding skill and sheer speed, world-class and top drawer.
All the verbal sparring amongst the heavyweights including Fiji, New Zealand, South Africa, Great Britain, USA, and Australia, which started nearly 18-months ago plus following a year of postponement, we are set to enter the ring and battle it out for gold at the biggest sporting event on the planet, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. And all eyes will be on darlings Fiji when pool games start on Monday, 26th for three successive days.
Rio Gold followed by 2018 Heartbreaks
The Gold medal victory in 2016 Rio, 43-7 in the fi nal vs Great Britain, was the greatest thing to happen for Fiji Rugby, it is simply branded as the best accomplishment for the game in the country. But we must recognise that the successes in 1997 and 2005 World Cup 7s stack high too because in that era, rugby wasn’t an Olympic sport.
Fiji’s most famed rugby son, Waisale Serevi was the king and brain in both RWC 7s wins plus many victories around the world. His uncanny skills, capability to master and galvanise the David Campese-introduced goose-step is till now, incomparable on the world stage.
In the last decade, Jerry Tuwai has ascended as the 7s super-star, in fact he was crowned the 7s Player of the Decade in a social media voting award organized by World Rugby.
Buca, Cakaudrove man, Tuwai will be hoping to lead the Team to victory in Tokyo and carve his name in the World Rugby history book with double Gold, at back-to-back Olympic Games.
Travelling reserve, Kitione Taliga, if called up during the tournament, is the second man who can boast the same feat.
The 2016 victory saw a top-shelf display of leadership in the team. Coach Ben Ryan was clinical in groundwork and his mercurial skipper, Osea Kolinisau, led by example. The ability of Oscar to interpret in the local language of Ben’s game plan before kick-off and half-time instructions stuck out as one of the key masts in our Gold success.
Oscar was supported by a band of well-known hardknocks in the game, an experienced stock – who knew their job description like a crystalglazer.
The power, attitude and mana displayed in Rio by Leone Nakarawa, Jasa Veremalua, Josua Tuisova, Semi Kunatani, Viliame Mata along with the skills of Tuwai, Vatemo Ravouvou and Samisoni Viriviri haven’t been repeated by any side to date at a major event, e.g. the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup.
Gareth took the heavy artillery to Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games but our side, after a struggle in the final pool game against Wales, managed to beat South Africa in extratime in the semi-final and lost out in the final 14-0 to New Zealand.
Three players from that silver medal win, Tuwai, Nasoko and Vakurinabili, are in Tokyo. I think our best chance to break the gold duck in Commonwealth was in 2006 Melbourne, especially after the 2005 World Cup 7s win, that year I watched the side settle for Bronze under the leadership of Serevi.
Rewind to 2018 World Cup 7s, and after the sore loss in Gold Coast, all eyes turned to San Francisco, USA. The Tuwai led team included tested stars of the game including blockbusting Semi Radradra – in fact in my books, this was perhaps the best team gathered to represent the nation in the modern era of rugby 7s.
I made sure that I made the trip to be in the stands at AT&T Park and it turned out to be a disappointing end as our side finished outside of a medal placing – fourth.
On a great San Francisco Sunday afternoon, the arena filled by thousands of Fijians and there were probably more blue flags than people in the stands, under the brilliant sun and blistering heat, Fiji were smoked in the semifinal to New Zealand 22-17 and then humbled by South Africa 24-19 in the Bronze match.
New Zealand took the Melrose Cup defeating England 33-12 in the fi nal. Tuwai who led that campaign, along with Nasoko, and Radradra from the San Francisco World Cup team are in Tokyo this week.
Gareth, as coach and Tuwai as captain, in both those tournaments in 2018, proved an unsuccessful combination and something which is surely likely to fi re them up to get it right in a big tournament for a third time. A Tokyo Gold might see the FRU come out with the cheque book and offer Gareth the job for another four years to allow him to get the second shot at the Commonwealth and World Cup and back to the Olympic Games 2024, a loss might mean he’d have to pack his bags.
Fiji won the Oceania tournament last month in Townsville with a clean-sweep of wins, a morale booster as it’s always great to get back to winning ways, especially after about a 17-month break from international competition.
What we must realise is that our side has only one tournament win to show in the last World Sevens Series that had six tournaments from December 2019 to March 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the series. Fiji won in Sydney in February 2020, while New Zealand chalked three wins (Cape Town, Hamilton, Vancouver) and South Africa got two (Dubai, Los Angeles).
That’s history now for our boys who have been selected to carry our hopes in Tokyo, they have the opportunity to write their own history this week.
Expectations and challenges
No doubt, the weight of a nation is on the shoulders of the selected 13 and coach Gareth Baber.
This is a massive challenge.
This is one tournament that Fijian fans want our side to win. The pressure that comes with expectations is unmeasurable. In fact, with social media now playing a big part not only adds to the pressure but cuts both ways as many fans take to social platforms to tear down the players and the team which can be detrimental and affect individuals mentally.
Although at the elite level, mostly the management have a plan to control these things and they have learned over the last fi ve – six years, with the rapidly growing social media space, techniques on how to motivate and weed out negatives in the lead-up to crucial games and
tournaments.
This tournament preparation has also been different, our team had to get in a bubble and continue training after the second wave of COVID-19 gripped the country in April before heading off to Townsville and being in quarantine ahead of the Oceania 7s, and fi nally to Oita with more quarantine and restrictions – the players must be itching to get on with the job.
A lot has been said in relation to gameplan and what we need to do. I guess Gareth has worked that out and has selected the players who will fi t into his plan.
We need to do the basics right and not get into the structured game that most of the opposition teams might employ. Let’s play with our natural fl air, the dangerous off-loads that’ll keep the opposition chasing us. And as the world knows – you can’t coach Fijians because they know how to produce magic in 7s like no other side.
Leadership and dream final
Leading the Fiji 7s team is no easy task.
Jerry Tuwai is in the hot seat, I mostly liken this job to that of the captain of an aircraft – his leadership is vital. The skipper must be at the top of his game – key decision-maker, quick thinking skills, clear communication with his team, situation awareness, ability to remain calm and collected under pressure, mental toughness – confi dence, attitude and self-discipline – and, above all, to fi re the troop up when the going is good and add more fuel to the fi re when the chips are down.
Coach Gareth will have to manage Tuwai’s game in Tokyo, how he uses the skipper in the earlier pool games and the expected top of the pool decider with Great Britain including the knock-out games. I would like to see Tuwai, 32, play no more than eight minutes against Japan and half a game against Canada on Day 1, depending on how we go in both matches.
On Day 2, we need him to be at his best against Great Britain and depending on how we are going in that game in the final four minutes, he can be rested. Welcome to medal knockout rugby and I expect Fiji to finish at the summit of Pool B and face Best third-placed side in the quarter-final, in current form likely to be Australia, Argentina, Ireland, or Kenya. And Tuwai will again need to front up as the leader in what could be a tough Day 2 with hard games backto-back.
Day 3, barring an upset on Tuesday evening in the quarter-final, Fiji could possibly line up against South Africa or USA in the semi-fi nal on Wednesday afternoon. And on paper in the top half of the draw, New Zealand, if they guarantee top place in Pool A, they should make the Gold medal final.
I also install USA as one side to watch. The Eagles have had a sound preparation and pack tonnes of experience coupled with power and speed. The likes of steam-rollers upfront, Danny Barrett, Matai Leuta, Martin Iosefo, and Stephen Tomasin, with captain Madison Hughes to marshall the backs, including playmaker Folau Niua and speed merchants Perry Baker and Carlin Isles – that’s a side that will have Mike Friday’s side punching for Gold.
South Africa should be there or thereabouts with the biggest question on how they’d fare with inspirational coach, Neil Powell in isolation after testing COVID-positive and won’t be on the sidelines and in half-time huddles. Seasoned stars Chris Dry, Justin Geduld, Branco du Preez, with the dazzling Selvyn Davids, Stedman Gans and the speed of captain Siviwe Soyizwapi will need to lift after setbacks. And they’ll be looking to give something back to their fans after they watched how Siya Kolisi and the Springboks went down in an incredible fi rst Test against the British & Irish Lions 22-17 on Sunday.
Great Britain have packed stars – none bigger than the world’s top try scorer, Dan Norton – and while they’re expected to battle against Fiji in the Pool B decider, if they fi nish in second spot, the GBs could set up a quarter-fi nal against either South Africa or USA. That’s game-on big time for them on Day 2.
Hosts Japan, who have a good stock of Fijian players including Namatakula lad Lote Tuqiri and repecharge winners Ireland with try-scoring sensation Jordon Conroy are my outside shots to electrify the rugby world in Tokyo.
A Tokyo Olympic Games fi nal, New Zealand (number one seeds) vs Fiji (number two seeds) will overwhelm rugby gods and form books and have world 7s fans on the edge of their seats.
This fi nal, again minus the apple cart tumbling, will be the greatest spectacle in Rugby 7s, in my books this can be talked about alongside the great 1990-1992 battles between the nations in Hong Kong and also that famous 2005 World Cup 7s fi nal – mind you, all were won by Fiji.
Tuwai will be ably supported by former captains in the squad and, I am certain, players who will deserve a first-seven spot – Kalione Nasoko, Meli Derenalagi alongside Radradra. I think the mana and leadership qualities of Radradra, on and off the fi eld, will be a vital component of Fiji’s quest for Gold in Tokyo this week. He is a professional and Fiji’s most respected player on the world stage and recently has been in hot form for Bristol and showed his commitment by turning up to train and play in a 7s tournament in the UK before fl ying to Tokyo.
It’ll be a dream come true and the first major world event of this magnitude, easily the biggest tournament of their lives for Iosefo Masi, Napolioni Bolaca, Waisea Nacuqu, Vilimoni Botitu, Aminiasi Tuimaba, Jiuta Wainiqolo, Vakurinabili and Asaeli Tuivuaka, and if provided the opportunity, the 13th man Sireli Maqala. The opportunity is on the menu for these players to write their names in history and hopefully the home-based players get noticed by overseas scouts and earn a professional contract, that’ll be the icing on the cake for their personal careers.
Why we need to win?
We’ve seen many wins in Hong Kong dedicated to our children as the 7s falls around Palm Sunday, Waisale Serevi did that during 2005 World Cup 7s. In fact, his morning devotion speech focused on how the children of the country are their biggest and loyal fans and the Team couldn’t let them down and must get out there and win for them as he fi red up the troop on the third and final day. I was part of that morning session at the Marco Polo in Hong Kong and could feel we had something special in the air for the day. The morning look on players faces, in a snap, changed to that of a man possessed and when you’re near players like ‘man mountain’ Semisi Naevo, Iferemi Rawaqa, Apolosi and Viliame Satala, Vilimoni Delasau, Marika Vunibaka and Sireli Bobo, that’s spine-tingling stuff and priceless moments. We need that kind of talk from Tuwai, Nasoko and Radradra in Tokyo.
In 2016 Rio Gold, the nation was recovering from the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Winston. Tokyo 2020 will be the most special for us.
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc in Fiji with an exponential rise in positive cases, deaths, job losses, our economy has taken a hit with tourism earnings wiped out, etc. A win in Tokyo will put a smile back on all Fijians faces.
Rugby 7s gets everyone united in emotion, for three days the nation is expected to stop as everyone will be in front of their TV sets or on their smartphones to cheer on the boys. Rugby is the most beautiful game which knows no culture, colour or barriers, and Fiji needs something like that in these times.
Everywhere I have been to in the past two to three weeks, 7s talk has been top of the agenda. Sevens is Fiji’s source of national pride, national identity, our culture, the rich history and tradition of 7s, young and old alike are excited to witness something special this week and I’m sure they’ll be celebrating on Wednesday night.
I expect fi reworks on Wednesday evening as the rugby 7s arena is the only place Olympic organisers must have got our national anthem stored on their PA system. What a proud moment that will be for every Fijian on this planet.
Mai Viti, Toso Viti
I want to end with a verse of this one song that ignites that rugby spirit, national pride and passion for the game, I listen to this song before any big Fiji rugby game. Composed and sung in 2007 for the Rugby World Cup where Fiji made the quarter-final in France, some star musicians headed by my classmate, former headboy of Suva Grammar and later co-presenter of the Fiji TV 6 pm Major News & Sports Bulletin, the late Rusiate Nayacakalou:
O Fiji, Ever Fiji
Land of the Fijian Braves
I Love These Isles, I Do Forever More
My Paradise, My Homeland
For I Can Do All Things Through Christ, Who
Gives Me The Strength
O Fiji, Ever Fiji
Land of the Fijian Braves
Believe in yourself and back it up with a 100 per cent show – it’s up to our boys now in their delivery in Tokyo.
All the best, Fiji 7s, show the world the Magic in the Game and Bring the Gold Home.
- SATISH NARAIN is a former sports editor of Fiji TV and is a rugby commentator. The views expressed are his and do not reflect the views of this newspaper.
