FIJI Rugby great Waisale Serevi believes patience and discipline will be the defining factors if the FIJI Water Flying Fijians are to turn promising performances into victories following their narrow defeat 24-39 to Wales on Sunday.
Serevi praised the side’s display in Cardiff, saying head coach Senirusi Seruvakula and his players produced an encouraging performance against a quality tier one opponent.
“My message to the boys is simple – play like it’s the last game of your life. Patience and discipline win games.”
He said Fiji often created opportunities through line breaks but failed to finish because players rushed their decision-making in the “golden zone”.
“When you reach the opposition’s 22 and the try line, you need a little bit more patience. We work so hard to get there, but we lose the ball.”
Serevi pointed to South Africa’s 45-21 win against England as the perfect example of patience in action.
“They played more than 20 phases before scoring because everybody became tired. That’s the lesson for Fiji Rugby. Patience means being willing to keep the ball through multiple phases until the opportunity comes.”
He believes that if the Flying Fijians combine their natural flair with patience and discipline, victories over the world’s best teams will soon follow.
“I want to congratulate coach Senirusi Seruvakula and all the boys for a great performance. I loved the way they played. They played expansive rugby with contact and offloads,” Serevi said.
The Fiji sevens maestro said fans should remain patient as the national side continues to develop against the world’s leading rugby nations.
“I believe people in Fiji should be patient. We cannot expect them to win all these games straight away. This is the first time they are consistently playing tier one nations.”
Serevi said Fiji played Wales for long periods and the result was decided by small moments.
“The beginning of the game was good. We were toe-to-toe with Wales. The difference was the try we allowed. Other than that, they really played well.”
Meanwhile, interim head coach Senirusi Seruvakula said discipline and unforced errors ultimately proved costly.
“We started well, but we gave away some silly mistakes and penalties, and that cost us the game,” he said.
Seruvakula admitted Fiji were unable to capitalize on several promising attacking opportunities after their fast start.
“We felt we could build from that first try, but unfortunately we couldn’t finish some of the opportunities we created.”
While pleased with Fiji’s attacking style, Serevi said the players must show greater composure inside the opposition’s 22-metre area.
The Flying Fijians face England in their second Nations Championship match this Sunday at 1.10am in Liverpool.
