THE Vodafone Fiji Sevens team won three tournaments, appeared in two finals, lost in four semi-finals and once lost in the quarter-finals but recovered to win the plate final to take out the 2015/2016 HSBC Sevens Series.
Fiji beat England in the Dubai final, beat Australia in the Las Vegas Sevens final and beat New Zealand in the Hong Kong Sevens final. We lost to Kenya in the Singapore final and Samoa in the Paris final.
They lost to South Africa in the Wellington Sevens semi-final, lost to New Zealand in the Sydney Sevens semi-final and again to South Africa in the Vancouver sevens semi-final and then lost to Australia in the 3rd and 4th play-off .
They lost again to South Africa in the London Sevens semi-final for the third time and Fiji’s only win against the Blitzboks was in Singapore.
Fiji took out the Dubai Sevens after demolishing England 28-17 in the final.
Osea Kolinisau’s men proved unbeatable in the desert city and after having trained in the Sigatoka sand dunes and making an early trip to prepare for battle.
A feature of the game that developed in Dubai was the combination and scissors play, a hallmark of Fijian sevens rugby.
Without a speedster on the wing to take the ball wide and scamper for the tryline, utility player Savenaca Rawaca retained possession by sidestepping his way inside to rejoin teammates.
Pio Tuwai, whom Ryan described as the best sevens player he had ever coached, was purely devastating in the semis against a powerful New Zealand.
Cape Town Sevens
South Africa fielded new players and scooped the Cape Town tournament after beating Fiji pool mate Argentina in the final.
Fiji were bushwhacked by France in the quarter-finals but proved that they were still the most formidable package in the HSBC Sevens Series.
Their thorough defeat of powerful Australia and then containing the quick rising rugby powerhouse of United States in the plate competition proved that when they are focused they can beat any team on the planet.
Wellington Sevens
Despite giving Japan, Wales and Argentina big scores they only did when they kept the ball in hand through passing, switch play or setting up a recycle from a ruck in a tackled ball.
Semi Kunatani hit top gear against Wales, scored two sizzling tries and showed glimpses of his old devastating form.
Kunatani was stopped short inches from the tryline and the ensuing penalty saw Osea Kolinisau score.
He made a solo try by running from his 22-metre area from a ruck with his usual fending off tacklers before scoring another soon after from a ground pass by Sevuloni Mocenacagi.
He came on at half-time against Argentina in the final pool play as coach Ben Ryan kept a cat and mouse game against opposition coaches.
But the loss to the Springboks in the semis definitely reminded us that it is a running brawl until the dust settles in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the 2016 Olympic Games in August.
We had a lot of respect for United States with speedsters Carlyn Isle and Baker and defended desperately but we did not have the same respect for the new players of South Africa.
Sydney Sevens
New Zealand won their second tournament with the presence of top Super Rugby players.
Skipper Osea Kolinisau led the charge from game one as the Vodafone Sevens side contained Argentina to finally top their pool heading into the quarter-finals.
But they soon succumbed to New Zealand in the semi-finals.
In the pool game they were held 7-7 at halftime by Argentina again joined the number of top teams in the competition to have found the Achilles tendon in Ben Ryan’s team.
They closed up the space with close marking and sure tackling, pinning the Fijians in their own half and forcing them into mistakes.
But Kolinisau replied in kind with aggressive defence which finally forced the Pumas into making unforced errors as the sting of the tackles made their mark.
Savenaca Rawaca was well contained with low tackles by the Argentines but eventually made the breaks in the second-half when they made the ball do the work.
Las Vegas Sevens
Food poisoning hit our boys badly in Las Vegas but it was where Fiji went on to win their second tournament in the HSBC Sevens Series.
It also provided an opportunity for Wardens’ Kitione Taliga to showcase his attributes and force his way into the top lists of men in coach Ryan’s list for playmaker.
Taliga was originally left out of the 12-member squad but came on after disaster struck the team. He was brought back into the reserve bench often coming in to replace Vatemo Ravouvou, whom Ryan revealed being playing in top form eating chips all day.
However, when he limped off the field with Australia leading 15-0 in the final, who else but our hero of the day Taliga .
Receiving the ball inside his goal area he sidestepped his way through the Aussie defence, pinned his ears back and raced for the line.
Skipper Osea Kolinisau said in his after match interview that they prayed to the Lord for the sake of those suffering back home and on top of that they worked hard during training and in other aspects to achieve this victory.
Vancouver
Fiji lost to Australia in the 3rd and 4th play-off after having being knocked off in the semi-final by South Africa.
The Kiwis won the tournament playing smart rugby. Not only did they take a 14-7 lead at half-time, they maintained it until the end with some smart rucking and ball retention that denied the South Africans the opportunity to score points and finally won 19-14.
After a mammoth cyclone devastation, a nasty bout of food poisoning in Las Vegas the Vodafone Fiji Sevens team came away walking wounded out of Vancouver.
But heads were still held high after the Las Vegas and Vancouver leg of the HSBC Sevens Series saw Fiji retain the lead and maintain consistency, something we hardly had before.
Still leading by one point on the points table over South Africa and two points over Vancouver Sevens champions New Zealand Fiji went into Hong Kong and Singapore in the next leg having rediscovered some new talents in the side.
Hong Kong Sevens win
Increased vigour and aggression in Ben Ryan’s Vodafone Sevens team, based on a tough training regime, paved the way for a powerful performance in Hong Kong.
But a series of uncharacteristic mistakes and giving away of penalties, turnovers in rucks made the going tougher and the wet and slippery conditions did not make it more easier. This resulted in the catch-up games against Canada and Kenya.
Against a physical team like New Zealand Osea Kolinisau’s men stepped up the physicality in the tackles and grounded their men on the soggy dirt.
Coach Ryan had indicated after the Vancouver Sevens that the team had stepped up their training on strength and power and this showed in Hong Kong.
Nippy Jerry Tuwai was bringing down big men double his size with one hand and when “The Beast” Semi Kunatani failed to crash over from a tap penalty Tuwai crashed past two burly Kiwi forwards to score Fiji’s first try in the final.
He continually stole possession from tackled players to eliminate the dangers caused by fumbled balls of his bigger teammates that had given attacking opportunities to the opposition.
The strength build-up has given confidence to Tuwai, who played one of his best tournaments in his career.
As of Sonny Bill Williams and Liam Messam visiting our dressing room to congratulate the boys and Ryan it was a great rugby moment.
It proves what a pioneer of the game once said that rugby was a hooligan’s game played by gentlemen.
Fiji loses to Kenya in Singapore final
Kenya won their first tournament in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series but Ben Ryan’s men continued to retain the lead on the points table.
Despite losing in the final the Vodafone Sevens team played one of the best tournaments in Fijian sevens history and surviving one of the toughest draws.
Taking on Samoa, England, Australia, South Africa to reach the final and face Kenya, who lost to South Africa in pool play then came cruising through on the easy part of the draw was a big ask for a totally new set of Fiji players.
Hit with injuries and untested in their new positions on the field the experience was a big bonus to Ryan and his men in view of the final two tournaments and the Rio Olympics.
Almost winning a historic back to back win on the same leg was within a hair’s breadth.
The two comeback wins against Australia and South Africa went down as two of the best and most entertaining sevens matches in history.
It was Fijian flair at its best and champagne rugby.
Kenya had an easy run beating France in the quarter-finals and then Argentina in the semi-finals.
Paris Sevens
Fiji for the second time were beaten by a lowly-rated side in the final, In Singapore it was Kenya but in Paris it was Samoa’s turn.
2014 top try scorer in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and best player of the season Samisoni Viriviri scored two tries to mark his return into the Vodafone Fiji Sevens team and presses a claim for a spot to Rio.
Fiji defeated Scotland 38-10 after a shaky start but the try-scoring feats of Viriviri and a solid Josua Tuisova, who also scored two, were a delight to watch for the thousands of expectant Fiji rugby fans.
Viriviri came off the bench and he combined well with fellow Dratabu villager Kitione Taliga for the first try and then a long pass from Amenoni Nasilasila saw him scoot through for his second.
Big Leone Nakarawa was in top form with his trademark one-handed offloads to set up tries and ball steals in tackled situations in the fluidity of their performance.
The Samoans, who were thrashed 5-42 in the final pool game by Fiji, overcame their fear and believed in themselves and came off with one of the most sensational comeback victories in sevens history.
But after Singapore Ryan said the focus was on more rest and recovery and we are reaping the benefits in Paris.
The balls stuck like glue on the hands of the players in Paris and there were fewer mistakes because there was perfect coordination as the recovered body is totally obedient to the mind. As the experts say fitness = load plus rest (recovery.
The physical form of new recruits Leone Nakarawa, Waisea Nayacalevu, Josua Tuisova and Samisoni Viriviri had lifted the Fijian performance to another dimension.
Go Fiji Go
