Challenge for our Fijiana 7s team: Make it count in Dubai, Cape Town
The Fiji Airways Fijiana women’s rugby sevens team’s journey to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France starts in Dubai, this weekend.
According to World Rugby, this season’s HSBC World Sevens Series is the qualifying event to the Olympics. At the end of the series, the top four women’s and men’s teams automatically qualify for Paris.
For the Saiasi Fuli coached-side they are to be reminded of a Chinese adage that: ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’.
This motivational proverb teaches that even the longest and most difficult assignment has a starting point. In a translation by Teaching Banyan, it means that big achievements are made through small but concrete resolves.
Dreams and life goals are achieved by making a path plan and taking the first step towards it.
The first step is most important because you may have big plans, but they will not materialise if you don’t take that first step. Therefore, it is true that a journey that might last for a thousand steps actually begins with a single step.
For the Saiasi Fuli-coached side, it is not about leaving it to the last few tournaments, but instead make every tournament count.
That means the first step is for a top four finish in Dubai followed by the Cape Town tournament in South Africa on December 9-11.
It’s a matter of being consistent throughout every tournament in the series.
On a positive note, Fuli has included speedsters like Younis Bese and Ilisapeci Delaiwalu along with the talented Talei Wilson.
The need of having speed out wide had become evident towards the end of the last series and also at the Rugby World Cup Sevens.
With veteran forward Reijeli Daveua taking over the captaincy role from Rusila Nagasau who is being rested brings a new lease of life to the side.
It’s a matter of taking one game at a time and it starts from their pool matches against Ireland, Spain and Japan where they need to qualify for the Cup quarterfinals and move on from there.
The challenge for our Fijiana players of Vani Buleki, Ivamere Nabura, Verenaisi Bari, Daveua, Wilson, Sesenieli Donu, Lavena Cavuru, Viniana Riwai, Reapi Uluinasau, Ana Maria Naimasi, Aloesi Nakoci, Delaiwau and Bese is for a top four finish in Dubai and Cape Town.
Make every tournament count and again don’t leave it to the last minute.