Buka Vinaka Teivovo Rugby Fans!
The international sevens season has come to an end and what a year it has been for our Fiji Airways Mens’ 7s team.
Another HSBC World Rugby 7s Series title win, sealed by victories in London and Paris, and favorites heading into the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 already. Go Fiji Go.
Gareth Baber was surprisingly unlucky to miss out on the HSBC World Rugby 7s Series Coach of the Year, strangely awarded to Mike Friday of Team USA.
It was plain to see Fiji won so many more tournaments than the USA and we also won the HSBC World Rugby 7s Series to boot with some of the most electrifying performances, backed up by very impressive collective and individual statistics.
So we all agree that Gareth Baber was head and shoulders above Mike Friday and the rest, so we honour our Fiji 7s Head Coach with the cover of this special issue of Teivovo Rugby!
Well done to the team and management, and all the best in preparations for the upcoming season.
There has also been a lot of comparisons drawn between Gareth Baber’s freakish 2018-2019 team and the Fiji 7s team that won the HSBC World Rugby 7s Series in 2015-2016 under the guidance of Ben Ryan.
It’s a tough one to call but we provide you with all the stats in this issue so that you can decide for yourself.
A special shout out to Team Fijiana who remain a core team on the women’s world 7s series, after winning the Challenge Trophy in Biarritz this year.
Apart from our exclusive Ben Ryan column and of course the views of our local experts Satish Narain and Kai Savusavu – Rayne Simpson, we welcome guest columnists Manoa Kamikamica, plus contributions from Henari Veratau and Professor Robert Dewey from the USA with his delightful article on Lakapi in Samoa – enjoy!
We’d also like to wish our Flying Fijians all the best in their games against the New Zealand Maori and in the PNC.
GO FIJI GO!
By Randall Kamea
