Three Yaro Chiefs players have been handed their first call-ups to the Fiji Airways men’s sevens team ahead of next week’s Hong Kong 7s, the Fiji Rugby Union confirmed yesterday. Isaia Rugu, Wame Ratuva and Tomasi Vuluma Stark will make their debut in the iconic white jumper after being named in the national squad released by the FRU, with the entire playing group and coaching staff boarding a flight to Hong Kong on Saturday night.
The Hong Kong 7s, staged at Kai Tak Stadium from April 17-19, marks the tournament’s 50th anniversary and returns as a marquee stop in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. This year the event also assumes added importance as the series shifts into a championship format: only the top eight teams from the 2025/26 season will qualify for the three-day festival, putting fresh pressure on squads to field their strongest combinations.
Head coach Osea Kolinisau opted for the Yaro Chiefs trio on the back of standout contributions at domestic sevens carnivals. The FRU said the selections were influenced by performances at the McDonald’s Coral Coast Fiji 7s in January and the Fiji Bitter Marist 7s last month. Rugu, Ratuva and Vuluma had already been part of extended squad activities during earlier SVNS legs in Singapore and Vancouver, and their elevation to the final touring party now offers them a chance on one of global sevens’ biggest stages.
Kolinisau has previously said that competition within the wider training group was driving established players to lift their standards, and the coach’s latest selection continues that approach. With established names such as Iowane Teba, Filipo Bukayaro and Sakiusa Siqila not included in this Hong Kong roster, the spotlight shifts to the newcomers to fill the vacancies and stake a claim for further selection as the series progresses.
The FRU also confirmed the Fijiana squad at the same time as naming the men’s team, underscoring the union’s twin focus on both programs as they head overseas. For the men’s side, the tight turnaround from departure to kick-off is expected to test combinations and conditioning, but offers limited time for opponents to study the new-look line-up before pool matches begin.
For Rugu, Ratuva and Vuluma Stark, Hong Kong provides a high-profile platform to fast-track their international sevens careers. Success in the Kai Tak cauldron would not only justify Kolinisau’s faith in domestic pathways such as Coral Coast and Marist tournaments but could also reshape selection dynamics for the remainder of the championship-format season. The Hong Kong 7s runs April 17-19 at Kai Tak Stadium.
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