Fiji 7s challenge
“I’M blessed to be coaching in a country which is 7s mad and while people say that we are going to be OK, we are playing ‘against Fiji’ all the time and we play the game differently to anyone else.”
Those were Gareth Baber’s words as he relates his time coaching the Fiji 7s team.
While speaking to Rugby Pass he said the challenge was to put strategies together to play against New Zealand, USA, South Africa and Britain.
“It’s about getting the players up to the level where they step out in Tokyo ready to play,” the Welshman said
With Baber spending the festive season at his home country, members of the Fiji 7s training squad were under the care of trainer Naca Cawanibuka.
The squad resumed training this week and are geared up for tough sessions as preparation for the Tokyo Olympic Games continues.
Baber said a number of the boys who live on the islands had taken a boat back just before the cyclone.
“Them coming back was difficult and some returned late. Thankfully, their families were OK and I’m looking forward to getting back and continuing the work with the squad,” he told Rugby Pass.
“There have been many plans for the Olympics drawn up and then lines put through them as things have developed.”
He said it would be about what they would do in Fiji and the hope was “they get to a position where they could do things regionally with New Zealand, Australia and Samoa in
Australia”.
“We would also like to do something in Fiji and then there is the full Oceania tournament which we want to go for.
“Apart from that, there is not a lot out there with only London still in the World Series at the start of June.
“It is difficult to see that happening and there is still the repecharge to find the final teams for the Olympics and I feel for those countries.”
He said “it sounded strange to say this but teams could be going into the Olympics blind and relying on what you can produce in your own nation”.