FIJIANA coach Chris Cracknell believes skipper Ana Maria Roqica was outstanding in the three-day competition of the women’s sevens rugby at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Cracknell insists Roqica outplayed defenders twice her size and would be in the shopping list of any coach in the world.
There was no doubt about the fact that the Fijiana attracted a lot of attention leading up to the Olympics.
Perhaps it was rubbing off on them in the wake of the Ben Ryan-coached team’s victory, for the second year in a row, in World Rugby’s Sevens World Series.
You couldn’t help but be awed by the prospect of the Fijiana been rated as true medal contenders in Rio at least a month away.
Understandably there would have been comparisons to the men’s squad.
There would have been an expectation that was nurtured by the men’s team’s exploits and victories in the series.
It is difficult to get past stars such as Osea Kolinisau, Semi Kunatani, Jerry Tuwai, Vatemo Ravouvou to name a few.
Leading up to Rio, the national men’s side was on a high.
For once in our sporting history, there can be no doubts that thousands of Fijians actually looked forward with excitement to the announcement of the national side by Ryan.
How can one shrug aside the importance of the make-up of our team to Rio when the Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama made the announcement himself?
Perhaps it unfairly placed pressure on the Fijiana.
When push finally came to shove, giants Australia and New Zealand stood up to be counted in the women’s competition.
They dominated proceedings in a sport the world body is probably hoping will attract massive attention on a global scale.
The Fijiana hit a brick wall, going down to Great Britain in the quarter-finals 7-26, before we slumped further yesterday, going down to Spain 0-21 in the battle for seventh and eighth spots.
Our eighth spot may not be what fans wanted. However, it speaks volumes of the Fijiana’s campaign, and the development of women’s rugby in Fiji.
As Cracknell pointed out the other day, parents should be encouraged to allow their daughters to play rugby sevens.
It’s the only way to boost our player base, pump up interest in the sport, and maybe even set us up for a stronger campaign in the next Olympic Games in four years’ time in Tokyo.
As the Fijiana finally take time off to enjoy the sights of Rio and maybe cheer on the men’s team today, there is hope that the governing Fiji Rugby Union has taken notes of where we must improve on for our long-term gains.
Attention now shifts to Ryan and his men who are scheduled to play hosts Brazil, and later Argentina this morning.
In the face of great hope, we say go Fiji, go.
