YARO Chiefs players Isaia Rugu, Wame Ratuva and Tomasi Vuluma Stark are poised to make their debut in the white jumper for the Hong Kong 7s next week.
This is after they were named in the national squad of the Fiji Airways Fiji men’s 7s team, released by the Fiji Rugby Union yesterday along with the list of their female counterparts, the Fijiana.
All players and coaching staff flew out to Hong Kong on Saturday night, as they embark on what is expected to be a tight schedule leading up to the Hong Kong 7s next week.
The inclusion of the three Yaro Chiefs players comes after continuous appearances in the team’s extended squad building to previous tournaments in Singapore and Vancouver during the HSBC SVNS.
Now, with the series heading into its championship format where only the top eight teams from the 2025/26 season qualify for the three-day sports fiesta, head coach Osea Kolinisau has picked the three budding talents who made a significant impression during the McDonald’s Coral Coast Fiji 7s in January and the Fiji Bitter Marist 7s last month.
In earlier interviews with the media when the trio were attending training sessions, Kolinisau remarked how it propelled players already featured to pull up their socks and prove their worth to earn selection for another leg.
With the absence of players such as Iowane Teba, Filipo Bukayaro, Sakiusa Siqila and others seen in previous legs, the onus is now on the new trio on the block to step in and earn their potential debut as Fijian sevens gladiators in Hong Kong.
What adds onto the campaign is the tournament’s celebration of its 50th anniversary, a series stop that has remained firm on the calendar while other venues have been taken off over the years.
And for Rugu, Ratuva and Vuluma, the trio have a chance to make their mark on the sevens series’ biggest stage.
The Hong Kong 7s will be held from April 17-19 at the Kai Tak Stadium.
