Top four finish is Fiji 7s target

THE Fiji Airways Fiji 7s men’s team is targeting a top podium finish at the 2023 HSBC World Rugby Series with the top four ranked teams gaining automatic entry to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Fiji hasn’t won the HSBC WSS title since the 2018-2019 event.

The national side is ranked fifth on the points table in the 2022-2023 series behind joint leaders Samoa and South Africa on 47 points, New Zealand and USA on 44 points.

Fiji has 40 points.

Fiji 7s head coach Ben Gollings said their first aim was to get into the top four following the upcoming tournaments in Hamilton and Sydney.

He said France as the host for the next Olympics had direct entry.

“So we are not looking at France as they are hosts for the tournament as they have already qualified,” Gollings said.

“If France ends up in the top four then it will be the fifth top team on the points table that will get a chance to qualify.

“But the ultimate target is to win the series. At the moment the series is wide open so the opportunity is still there.”

Fiji finished as the runner-up in Hong Kong, but then slipped to ninth in Dubai before claiming fifth position in Cape Town.

Gollings said the positives that have come out of the last two tournaments was very important.

“But then we saw from the other teams just how competitive the series has become,” he said.

“There were teams that were semi-finalists one week and then dropped down completely.

“We can’t afford to let that happen to us. So we know that consistency is the key. Whatever happens we have been working hard with that. We are aiming to be in the top four at a minimum coming out of these two upcoming tournaments.”

The Hamilton 7s tournament will be held on January 21-22.