Golden challenge
THE first pair of weeks of 2022 hastily transported back renewed recollections of the past year when the pandemic hit the country.
Omicron took control as the muchlooked forward to Fiji Rugby’s Fun Flavour Sevens Series was called off at the eleventh hour then mother nature took a wrong turn and flooding wreaked havoc in most parts of the nation.
A 2022 start that many would want to forget in the blink of an eye.
Happy New Year!
There’s always a better path ahead and we all look forward to that in the coming days and months.
Sports can be played without spectators and that’s a huge plus for the federations as rugby, football, netball, cricket and volleyball look to start their club and national competitions.
We also welcome home Fiji 7s men’s coach, Ben Gollings. Boy!
He has his work cut out for him as he heads to the air fryers straight up, taking charge of the national side to the opening tournaments on the world series circuit in Spain.
The big picture in international sport for Fiji will have to be Ben and our sevens team hunting three unique gold medals in the World Series, Commonwealth Games and the World Cup this year.
Spanish delight
Malaga, one of three new settings is the first stop (next weekend) on the 2022 version of the World Sevens Series, followed by Seville.
These are unfamiliar environments in the south of Spain for players as they prepare for battle, men have seven tournaments and four for women this year.
Additionally, there will be the Commonwealth Games plus the World Cup – making this year truly special and exciting for the sevens code.
Now, while I say that, with Omicron on the rise all over the world, don’t be surprised if some tournaments on the World Series circuit are dumped and if that does occur – oops … our side plus the others will face a speed bump in preparations for the big two (Commonwealth Games and World Cup) later in the year.
The Fijiana 7s (women) lost the opening two tournaments’ finals in Dubai and they’ll be focusing on getting their first win on the circuit, but with the return of New Zealand, things will get a little tougher and fiery in this division with four events remaining.
Coach Saiasi Fuli has a great base of players to work with this year.
There were key stars (I guess up to five players) who were offered overseas contracts after the Tokyo Olympics bronze medal finish, but swift work at the Rugby House to increase their pay and keep them in the system has worked in our favour.
Our men’s side faces crunch time with the skills and experience drain to overseas clubs and the Super Rugby Pacific newbie, Fijian Drua.
There has been low key preparation or just a cap on news coming out from the sevens camp with just days away from the Malaga outing.
I have seen pictures floating around of the team training in Suva and some from indoors with set piece plays focus.
Apart from that, nothing much has been said from the camp until Ben joined the side earlier in the week.
Ben will spend just about a week with the team before he leads Fiji against his own nation, England, just a few minutes before midnight next Friday in the first pool game in Spain.
That should set the tone for a new era in Fiji 7s history.
Tough group
Ben will hope and his skipper, Jerry Tuwai, knows that they must beat England in Malaga or face the threat of dropping out of the Cup quarterfinals.
What a situation to be in and what a way to start for Ben, who has been at the helm of English rugby in his prime days. He needs to win this one and it means a lot for him and Fiji.
Fiji faces the best side on the circuit to date - South Africa - in the second pool game in Malaga.
South Africa were outstanding as they won both events in Dubai and it’s simple for Fiji – win one of the two and hope to beat Scotland in the final game and go through.
The best scenario will be to smoke all three and the darkest one will be to lose to England and South Africa and bomb out of the top 8 finals within just five hours from the start of the new sevens year.
If you have forgotten, Fiji finished fourth and ninth respectively in Dubai in December where they also saw 11 players get a taste of international sevens for the first time.
As they say, it doesn’t get any easier in this cut-throat World Rugby circuit which has evolved over the last two decades from when we could pick, blind-folded, the finalists and today it’s hard to predict a winner in finals footy.
The 2022 Series will also see Great Britain disband with England, Scotland and Wales fielding respective teams.
South Africa, Australia, USA and Argentina are other sides who’ll be hoping to continue their form and also improve from where they left off in the deserts of Dubai. Focus on players
When I wrote this piece, the sevens side to travel to the Spain events weren’t named.
I’ve seen pictures of the return to camp of Semi Kunatani and he’s one who’ll be expected to bring the experience back in the fold. Of course, General Tuwai will bring back stability and control the direction of play which, at crucial times, failed us in Dubai.
The likes of Vakurinabili, Nacuqu, Talacolo and the outstanding Rasaku (in
Dubai) should form the base of our squad in the new year.
The other rookies who received their baptism of fire in the deserts will be hoping to get their third badges in Malaga.
But going forward, in the year and towards the Commonwealth and World Cup is when coach Ben will have to make some critical selection calls.
The elusive Commonwealth gold is on the menu at the end of July. Add five weeks on that and we step into the battle for the Melrose Cup in Cape Town, South Africa.
Ben has 7 tournaments to whip up a good team together or look outside the current squad, just like Gareth did when he had to recruit Radradra, Tuimaba and Botitu for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
It’s too early to say anything in relation to Ben and how he’ll pan out for Fiji as coach.
In his most recent assignment as a consultant coach for Sri Lanka, he saw the side through the Asia Sevens where they finished sixth out of eight with just one win in five games against the Philippines (28-26) in the Plate semifinal.
At Ben’s mercy, heading to Birmingham to try and win Fiji’s first Commonwealth gold plus in his bid to bring the Melrose Cup here for the first time since 2005, will be stars of the golden run in Tokyo as the French-based and Fijian Drua boys will be available for selection.
It’ll be a dream for any coach to pencil in sevens fit Derenalagi, Nasoko, Bolaca and Maqala in the fold and keep the flame burning of chasing three gold medals in 2022.
All the best, Ben and Fiji 7s, in Malaga and Seville.
SATISH NARAIN is a sports commentator with FBC. The views expressed are the author’s and do not reflect the views of this newspaper or his employer.