...and THIS is why we lost
Indiscipline! This was the biggest let-down of the Vodafone Fijian 7s team during the USA 7s in Las Vegas yesterday. The Cup final was riddled with indiscipline. The red card sending off on Sevuloni Mocenacagi capped it off for the frustrated Fijians, who were trailing 12-19 and just minutes to play. In the same game, Vatemo Ravouvou was flashed a yellow card for using his shoulders and going high in a tackle. Still without a tournament win in this World Sevens Series, the Vodafone Fijians now move on to Vancouver in Canada. They will join Argentina, Samoa and Wales in Pool B. Hopefully, coach Gareth Baber and his team will iron out the problem areas before the tournament. Fiji moves up second place in the series with 83 points while South Africa leads with 107. England is third with 81 points.
Vodafone Fijian 7s head coach Gareth Baber had time to assure young prop Mesulame Kunavula that he was doing well during the USA 7s in Las Vegas.
“You’re doing fine and keep doing what you’re supposed to do,” Baber told Kunavula after addressing the players during the halftime break against Scotland on Saturday. The 20-year-old Nadroga forward was in the starting line-up in all of Fiji’s eight matches at the USA 7s.
Baber had indicated earlier that youngsters Kunavula and 13th player Alivereti Veitokani needed a lot of game time to build them-up. In Las Vegas, Kunavula rose to the occasion through his bulldozing runs that saw him score five tries and finish third on the top try scoring list.
And this impressed the World Rugby officials who later included him in the Las Vegas Dream Team. Kunavula was named in the forwards along with veteran New Zealand 7s skipper DJ Forbes and USA strongman Danny Barrett.
In the backs, nippy Seremaia Tuwai got the nod at halfback with Fijian New Zealand 7s teenager Vilimoni Koroi at playmaker while Rosco Speckman of South Africa at rover and Australian sensation Lachie Anderson on the wing.