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Take the Fijians lightly at your peril:Chris Hickey
Chris Hickey banks on the Fiji Airways Fijian Drua as the team to beat in the semifinal of the National Rugby Championship at Churchill Park, Lautoka on Saturday.
The former Waratahs coach and Fijian Drua consultant, who has seen the rise of the fabulous Fijians first hand. also says Fiji Airways Flying Fijians should make an impact the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
The Drua will host their first ever final on Saturday when the Canberra Vikings come to town and that’s the culmination of an academy which has harnessed the full ability of a rugby mad nation filled to the brim with natural talent. “There is no doubt that the Fijians bring a lot of natural ability, skill level and athleticism,” Hickey told RUGBY.com.au.
“I think that comes from a lot of the games they play as kids on any piece of grass they can find. “You don’t see too many witches hats or cones around so they’re learning to play that unstructured game from a very early age.
“But that’s also very well supported in Fiji by a good academy programme that they have had in place now for a few years around the island.
“It’s mainly focused around really strength and conditioning and that gives really good support to a lot of the natural ability they have with them.
“There’s a very close brotherhood between the players and that’s still an element of a successful team.”