Fiji desperate to retain Dubai Sevens crown

Matt Jones - Editor 10:28 03/12/2014
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  • Final showdown: Action from the decider between Fiji and South Africa at last year's Dubai Sevens.

    Just 12 months after leading Fiji to a long-awaited first title at the Dubai Sevens, coach Ben Ryan is already facing the challenge of moulding an entirely new team.

    The Pacific Islanders are pioneers of the shorter format of the game but until last year, victory in the Emirates had eluded them.

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    Six times they had finished as runners-up until Englishman Ryan orchestrated their superb run at the 2013 event, culminating in a 29-17 win over South Africa in the final.

    That triumph set up Fiji for an impressive 2013/14 series in which they also tasted success in Japan before eventually finishing third overall behind New Zealand and the Springboks.

    Inevitably those displays put star players in the shop window and they return to Dubai with just two survivors from their 2013 winning effort.

    Among those to depart was IRB World Player of the Year Samisoni Viriviri, whose incredible 52 tries saw him snapped up by French Top 14 club Montpellier.

    Fortunately for Ryan the Fijian talent pool runs deep and they arrive having already claimed the Gold Coast Sevens title last month and determined to defend their Dubai crown.

    Ryan said: “It’s obviously very hard to replace (Viriviri) the first Fijian to be named the World Player of the Year.

    “On top of that, we have lost our regular centre, hooker and prop from last season. 

    “Of the side that won in Dubai last year, probably only two players remain. Some have missed out on form, but most have left to go overseas.

    “We have lost more players than any other of the top six by a large margin. We have the depth but it's not bottomless, and it still takes time, resources and effort for a player to come into the squad and get to a level of fitness and discipline required.

    “It was great to win the Oceania 7s and the first leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series on the Gold Coast,” Ryan added.

    “What makes it even better is that we did it with two different teams. It was the most points any winning team has scored in a tournament for eight years, and we conceded less points than we had done at any time last season.”

    Beaten 2013 finalists South Africa, meanwhile, are eager to put the heartbreak of last year behind them.

    Runners-up in Dubai, and in the overall standings, the Boks are looking to go one better this time around. 

    Coach Neil Powell said: “It is a big season for all the teams, and we realise that we can’t afford to look too far ahead. 

    “A lot of our focus last year was to get consistency back, and that will be one of our major aims again this year. 

    “We are working hard on the basics, and I believe that if we can achieve our team goals, then the results will look after themselves.”

    Despite dominating the series as a whole, New Zealand haven’t won in Dubai since 2009 – a drought legendary coach Sir Gordon Tietjens is eager to end.

    “For us, we don’t look any further than the pool when we play there, but then you’ve also got the brilliant conditions, you are guaranteed fine weather, there’s a great track and a magnificent stadium – so overall, it’s a great, great tournament,” he said.

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