FORMER Fiji men’s 7s skipper Isake Katonibau knows one striking detail about playing in the Cape Town 7s – it has always been difficult.
And when the Fiji Airways Fiji men’s 7s side will run onto the field there for the second stop of the HSBC SVNS this weekend, he says being mentally prepared and making a proper recovery for it will be essential.
“Cape Town is going to be difficult, now it’s just about getting the recovery and it’s all mental,” Katonibau told Times Sport yesterday.
“If you watch the previous years, the teams that do well in their recovery, they are mentally prepared well; they actually take out the Cape Town 7s.”
This weekend, the result of the team’s return to the drawing board as mentioned by head coach Osea Kolinisau in Dubai last week, will prove itself.
And as his former teammate Katonibau has emphasised, mental preparedness and proper recovery phases will prove timely for the team.
“There’s still work to be done but I know Oscar and the boys will come together and improve on that,” he said.
Fiji, being the inaugural winners of the South Africa leg in the 1999/2000 season, last won the Cape Town 7s in the 2018/19 season under the tutelage of then head coach Gareth Baber.
Fiji won 29-15 over the United States.
In the 2024/25 and 2023/24 seasons, Fiji departed South African shores as plate winners.
Fiji will face defending champions South Africa in their first pool match on Saturday at 10.44pm, followed by Great Britain on Sunday at 1.38am and against New Zealand at 5.19am.
