Fiji defeated Samoa 31-24 in final of the Gold Coast Sevens to win round one of the HSBC Sevens World Series and take an early lead in the race for Olympic qualification.
Setefano Cakau scored two tries in the first half before Apisai Domolaili and Semi Kunatani saw the Fijians take a 26-0 lead. But Samoa’s Fautua Otto scored just before half time before Lolo Lui, Siaosi Asofolau and Tila Mealoi narrowed the gap to just two points with four minutes to go.
However, Fiji managed to cement their 2014 Gold Cup Sevens Cup final win when Jasa Veremalua crossed the line to seal the 31-24 final score.
“It was a rollercoaster final but we hung on in there,” said head coach Ben Ryan. “We are by no means the finished product. I feel at home in Fiji and we are grateful for all of the support back in the country.”
