SINGAPORE 7s cup final Player of the Match Vuiviwa Naduvalo lauded the work of Fiji Airways Fiji men’s 7s head coach Osea Kolinisau following their 21-12 win over Kenya on Sunday.
Naduvalo stated for coach Kolinisau, winning in Singapore may have been a special one for him since he did not do so during his time as captain of the national team in 2016.
“I was once a schoolboy when I watched our coach when they won the gold medal and also playing in the previous years, in his playing time,” Naduvalo reflected in an interview with World Rugby SVNS.
Fiji’s meeting with Kenya was a replay of the 2016 Singapore 7s final, where Kenya beat them 7 – 30.
The Semo, Nadroga man credited the former skipper turned coach of how inspiring his stint had been on his development as a rugby player.
“He was one of the players that I looked up to, he’s a very hardworking person, humble and very helpful to what I’ve achieved today,” he added.
Ever since the Singapore 7s was introduced in 2002, Fiji had won it a total of three times prior to Sunday’s victory – in 2006, 2018 and 2022.
In 2006, Fiji won after they beat England 40-21 while in 2018 they beat Australia 28-22 to clinch the cup and beat New Zealand 28-17 in 2022.
Meanwhile, with only one stop on the HSBC SVNS League 2025 left in Los Angeles, USA, the pool fixtures for the tournament have been released.
Fiji is grouped in Pool B with Spain, Australia and New Zealand.
