Mather rebuts claims, says 7s series vital
THE Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) actively utilises footage from tournaments on the Fiji Bitter 7s Series as a crucial tool for talent identification and analysis for both the men’s and women’s national teams.
Barrie Jon Mather, the FRU High-Performance general manager, emphasised the significance of the series in scouting potential players.
Addressing concerns raised about the absence of FRU officials at the Fiji Bitter 7s Series tournaments on Vanua Levu, Mather clarified that officials, coaches, and players were present at two of the three competitions. The clash with the Dubai and Cape Town legs of the HSBC
SVNS Series prevented their attendance at the first leg, while the Fiji Babaas team emerged victorious at Lomaiviti 7s on Ovalau.
Mather rebutted claims of neglecting the Fiji Bitter 7s Series in favour of the McDonald’s Fiji’s Coral Coast 7s, asserting that the choice of the Sigatoka tournament was made for specific reasons.
He said the Coral Coast 7s was deemed essential for preparing the men’s and women’s teams for the HSBC SVNS Series leg in Perth.
He also highlighted logistical challenges and the need for squad adjustments due to injuries sustained in the Coral Coast tournament.
“Both the (Fiji) men’s and women’s teams were on an early morning flight to
Sydney this morning (Sunday) and have had to make a number of changes to the squad due to injuries suffered through the Coral Coast tournament,” Mather said.
“Logistically, this would not have been possible if some, or all, of the squad were competing in this weekend’s (last week’s) Vanua Levu tournament.
“Where possible, we will always support and promote local competitions and unions and have done so consistently throughout this season and those previously.”
Emphasizing the commitment to supporting local competitions, Mather affirmed that the FRU consistently promotes grassroots talent. He cited examples of successful talent identification from the Labasa 7s and Welagi 7s in December
2023, where players such as Nunia Ravuaceva were promoted to the Fijiana 7s development squad.
In response to queries about the potential of grassroots players, Mather underlined that grassroots players and coaches have consistently proven their worth for both the men’s and women’s national sevens teams. He mentioned ongoing engagement and promotion of local talent, with some coaches participating in overseas development programs, including trips to Korea and the Pacific Games.
Furthermore, a development team was deployed to Taveuni for coaching courses and leadership principles, focusing on identifying and nurturing grassroots coaches and players over the past two weeks.