Phenomenal is the word used by international rugby referee Rasta Rasivhenge to describe Fiji Airways Fiji men’s 7s head coach Osea Kolinisau’s transition from being on the field to calling the shots off it.
Rasivhenge described the 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist as such in reference to how the former Fiji 7s skipper had transitioned to taking up a key role from on the field to off it.
“I’ve worked with Osea Kolinisau since 2008 when I started refereeing and when he was a player, and his transition into becoming a coach has been phenomenal,” Rasivhenge said.
He added Kolinisau’s understanding of the game’s depth and his experience of working under his predecessors Gareth Baber and Ben Ryan had proven vital in ensuring he played the part well.
This experience, he says, would also play a timely role in the lead-up to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“He understands the game; he worked under Ben Ryan and Gareth Baber and it’s always great to see him execute his strategies and his skill sets with the team, and the team will do well come the next Olympics.”
Meanwhile, in commending Kolinisau for his work in being head coach of the national side, Rasivhenge shared his admiration for the work carried out in ensuring newcomers into the abbreviated rugby code adjusted well.
“What I’ve loved about what Osea Kolinisau has done is he’s brought in a lot of youngsters into the team, and they are learning the structures of how to perform at the highest level,” he added.
He also commended Kolinisau for putting together a team that competed at the Rooster Chicken Grassroots Sevens Tournament, held recently at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
“It’s great that Osea Kolinisau, the head coach of Fiji 7s, came with a team and he exposed a couple of the players to the high-performance levels so that was great.”
