Baber: We’re Still Adjusting
Discipline remains an issue for the Vodafone Fijian 7s sevens team as they attempt to win a third straight Hong Kong title this weekend. World Rugby brought in a tougher approach to dangerous tackling this year, with zero tolerance for reckless or accidental tackles that make contact with a players head. Fijian 7s head coach Gareth Baber told Radio New Zealand that the players would have to make adjustments to their tackling technique, to ensure they keep seven players on the field. Two tournaments on, he says, it was still a work in progress.
“Staying disciplined and not giving penalties and yellow cards away, which had caused us problems over the last couple of tournaments. It’s an adaptation for the players that they’re continuing to make,” he said. “Obviously we talk a lot about it, we show them clips of it, when we get it right and when we get it wrong and it’s really changing habits for some of them to ensure that obviously they’re making better and lower tackles.
“We’re keeping more people on their feet and we’re not giving opposition time on the ball to exert their pressure.” Baber said improving their execution at kick-offs was also a priority over the past three weeks, after being exposed in the crushing 40-7 thrashing by England in the Cup semifinal in Vancouver, Canada. “Which is fairness to England they controlled that and they controlled the game off the back of that and we didn’t react well to it and sevens is key on having possession.
“The way we play as a team and the pressure we can exert on the opposition largely comes when we have the ball but one of our big focuses has been exerting pressure when we haven’t got the ball.”
Fiji are third in the competition standings after six of 10 rounds, 26 points behind runaway leaders South Africa.