The Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) board of trustees plans to retain Osea Kolinisau as the coach of the Fiji 7s team for the upcoming rugby sevens season. This confirmation came from FRU interim chair Peter Mazey in response to queries about Kolinisau’s future with the team.
“Yes, of course. I’m very much a fan of having Fijian coaches, and I know there has been a lot of talk about that,” Mazey said.
Kolinisau took over the team in March following widespread calls for Ben Gollings to be replaced after Fiji failed to secure a tournament title in the World SVNS Series. With just four months to prepare, Kolinisau implemented strict fitness standards for all players, including Jerry Tuwai.
The improvements he brought to the team were evident in their performance, and the FRU is keen to keep a leader of his caliber. “We will be having that discussion with Oscar. His family still lives in America. The contract is just after the Olympics,” Mazey noted.
Mazey expressed gratitude towards Kolinisau, who took over at a critical time. “I really have to thank Oscar; he came in at a very late stage as everybody knows, and I think the changes that the trustees made have proven to be the right decision. The team Oscar put together, his coaching team was excellent, and it was great having Gareth (Gareth Baber) there. It was also interesting to see that the two last Olympic coaches were also there supporting him,” Mazey added.
Kolinisau, who captained Fiji 7s to their gold medal victory at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was assisted by former Fiji 7s star Setefano Cakau at the recent tournament. He emphasized team fitness with the help of strength and conditioning coach Ian Gibbons and consultant Naca Cawanibuka, as well as Gareth Baber, the coach of Fiji’s 2020 gold medal-winning team.