IN commemoration of its golden jubilee and proud legacy, high scoring yet tough and disciplined rugby is set to ignite the Fiji Bitter Marist Sevens.
To captivate fans while unleashing the true flair of Fijian rugby, this year’s Fiji Bitter Sevens series has introduced several game-changing policies poised to revolutionise the tournament.
“Over the years, together with Paradise Beverages, the Marist Rugby Club has actually come up with a format for awarding points in our series,” explained tournament director Koli Korovulavula.
“And that includes penalties for foul play and rewards for tries. And rewards for winnings. We want winning, try-full rugby. That’s skill. That’s the intent.”
In the past, the tournament has unearthed many Sevens superstars who went on to light up the HSBC SVNS series.
This year, they hope to continue this tradition with an emphasis on highly gifted but disciplined rugby stars.
“One thing we’ve stressed is foul play. That we don’t tolerate foul play. I think that’s why points are being awarded for non-issue of cards,” Korovulavula said.
“As you see, that’s what our national team needs: disciplined, tough rugby. Hard tackles, but legal tackles. Tough clean-outs that people will be scared to compete against us, but all clean. And that’s what we keep encouraging in our tournaments.”
This means teams receive one bonus point for every match they complete without any player receiving a yellow or red card.
These points are added directly to the team’s competition tally and can be the deciding factor in pool tiebreakers or final series rankings.
