Fiji Airways Fiji men’s 7s head coach Osea Kolinisau is urging his team to enhance their defensive strategies and maintain consistent performance as they prepare for the upcoming Cape Town Sevens. Reflecting on their recent experience at the Dubai tournament, Kolinisau acknowledged the team’s potential but recognized significant areas that necessitate quick improvement.
“We’ve got to try and get maximum points out of every game. We thank the boys for the effort,” Kolinisau emphasized. Despite reaching the semifinals in Dubai, Fiji let a crucial victory against New Zealand slip away in the final moments. “We had the game in hand and lost it in the last 40 seconds… just a misread. We had a lot of opportunities, but something I wasn’t happy about is our tackles… we had a lot of missed tackles, and that’s something we’ve talked about this week.”
Kolinisau noted that Fiji needs to avoid slow starts and should not allow their opponents to establish scoreboard pressure. “We started the game really well, but we can’t let teams go ahead two or three times and find ourselves playing catch-up rugby. We want to ensure that we start strong and maintain the lead to keep pressure on the other team.”
Following their semifinal disappointment, Kolinisau commended his players for their resolve. They responded by defeating France in their final match, securing valuable series points. “It’s not easy to find that mental fortitude after you’ve lost the main semifinal… but the boys came out and fought for the points and gave all they had.”
However, discipline continues to be a pressing issue, as Fiji accumulated two red cards during their Dubai campaign. The team is set to face South Africa in their opening game tonight at 10:44 PM, followed by matches against Great Britain at 1:38 AM tomorrow and New Zealand at 5:19 AM. Fans can catch all the action live on FBC Sports.
With their sights set on overcoming previous mistakes and focusing on a disciplined, aggressive game plan, Fiji’s team and supporters remain hopeful for a strong performance in Cape Town.
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