Baber goes for maturity, consistency

Fiji Airways Fijian 7s head coach Gareth Baber will start scouting for players within the next two months as they prepare for the 2018/19 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Baber told SUNsports yesterday that he is also looking at selecting players from the Fijian Under-20 and Fiji Airways Drua teams.

“There a few players that I will be looking at in the next month,” Baber said.

“Last year there were a few players that came out of the Drua side that joined the squad with the huge amount of talent playing in there,

“I want to get around and watch more domestic tournaments as we prepare for the series and the 2020 Olympic Games.”

Baber said local players have the opportunity to play for Fiji in the next two years if they are willing to put their hands up.

“My advice to local players, is to ensure that they are playing regularly in Fiji, to me it shows that they are serious about representing Fiji in the sevens environment,” he said.

“I’m looking for a point of difference and how they make decisions on the field and I want to see people work hard for their team.

“I believe whole heartedly in the concept in team and how an individual fits within a team environment.”

Baber added that Eroni Sau has been the only player that has received an overseas contract.

“I can’t say interest would not come in the future.

“As much as I try to keep the team together, some of the offers like Sau will be life changing for them and they will want to test themselves in the highest level.” Baber said the change he wants to see in the team is the maturity of the group and how they handle situations when under pressure. “We played 13 tournaments last year, one of the changes I want to see in the team is the development of the players.

“That is individually and it will take a lot of details in terms of developing them mentally to understand the highs and lows. “When it came to big end competition we were not quite strong to finish those off.

“I take responsibility for that myself. I want the players to keep developing more confidence in the way we play the game.”

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