The Fiji Rugby Union is seeking explanations for the disappointing performance of the Fiji women’s rugby sevens team at the Paris Olympic Games in France. This was the main point of the interview SUNsports conducted with Fiji Rugby High Performance Women’s Manager, Alana Thomas.
The team, which won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, suffered a 17-14 defeat to Canada in their opening match in Pool A and then experienced a shocking 40-12 loss to Olympic debutants China. Under coach Saiasi Fuli, the team now faces a daunting challenge against New Zealand. A victory would give them a slim chance of advancing to the medal playoffs.
Thomas acknowledged that the start of the Olympics has been very tough. “The results after day one are disappointing,” she told SUNsports. She added that they would wait to speak to the coaches and the programme manager who is with the team. Despite good preparation leading up to the Olympics and favorable reports before the event, the team did not perform as expected.
Thomas also announced that a review of the Olympic teams is scheduled for August. It is understood that this review could result in changes, including the possible removal of Fuli as head coach, as the team has not won any tournaments in the HSBC SVNS apart from the Olympics.
“As with all tournaments, we conduct a review. We have a full Olympic review planned before the Olympics, similar to what most High Performance teams or sports do after a major event to evaluate the cycle. This is scheduled for early August when the teams return from Paris,” Thomas stated.
She also addressed allegations on Facebook made by local coaches, clarifying that she did not stop the women’s team from camping or influence their training program. “Before my appointment, the players were contracted and placed in a centralized daily training setup, not in camps as the men were. After one of the HSBC series legs, we reviewed and agreed to return the women’s team to a camp-based environment leading up to the Olympics. Training processes on the field are discussed in reviews, but the staff are responsible for the execution of on-field training,” Thomas explained.