Pleasant Surprise
Bonding stronger, players celebrate Gareth Baber and Waisea Nacuqu birthdays in South Korea enroute to London
Team bonding and brotherhood continues to strengthen the Fiji Airways Fijian 7s team camp as they prepare for the final two legs of the World Sevens Series in London (June 2-3) and Paris (June 8-10).
The players and officials surprised coach Gareth Baber and Votua, Ba native Waisea Nacuqu by organising and celebrating their birthday in South Korea before they departed for London yesterday. Baber was born on May 23, 1972 in Cardiff, Wales and turned 46 on Wednesday. Nacuqu was born in Ba on May 24, 1993 and turned 25 yesterday.
“The team surprised us in Korea and I’m very happy on how they put on a pleasant surprise for me and Gareth,” Nacuqu said. “I want to thank the Lord for guiding me through the years. May God bless us and our families,” he said.
Baber says; “Thanks Wise, great to share our birthdays, God bless.”
The Fijains currently lead the World Sevens Series standings with 145 points, South Africa in second place with 141 and New Zealand in third place with 120.
Baber said they will do their best to get the result everybody wanted.
“We will do our absolute best because the fact of the matter is every team in the competition will be out there and trying to win,” Baber said.
“If we win the series ’title that will be good for us.”
Fiji play Argentina in their first match in London on Saturday, June 2, at 10.20pm, Scotland on June 3 at 1.26am and New Zealand at 4.32am.
Stormers release Senatla for sevens
The Blitzboks will have speedster Seabelo Senatla available for the final two World Sevens Series events of the 2017/18 season next month.
Senatla has missed a considerable amount of sevens action this season as he was part of the Stormers’ Super Rugby campaign.
However, the winger has struggled to impose himself in the XVs game and was not a regular starter for the Stormers.
The second-placed Blitzboks (141 points) currently trail series leaders Fiji by four points, and according to Netwerk24, have asked the Stormers for permission to utilise Senatla.
Injuries to Rosko Specman and Selvyn Davids have prompted Springbok Sevens coach Neil Powell to ask permission from WP Rugby to pick Senatla.
“The Blitzboks are thankful to Robbie Fleck (Stormers coach) who agreed to release the player,” an SA Rugby spokesperson told Sports24 . Feedback: anasilinir@fijisun.com.fj