Fiji’s National Program Manager for 7s, Gareth Baber says the national expectation of winning another Olympic gold is what sevens players will have to shoulder.
He says, this will mean that need for improved conditioning and tactical play.
“That’s what the country demands, that’s what the expectation is on these players,” he said.
In a candid interview with RugbyPass following their 5th place playoff in the Hong Kong 7s, Baber said the Fijian team is not yet ready,
“It’s lovely to be back involved, but I want to be in the position where you are going out to play another game at six o’clock tonight (Cup Final). We’re not there, and we need to work harder.”
“Our focus is about developing our levels through the next two tournaments but obviously back home in training in Fiji for the purposes of getting to an Olympics and winning another gold.”
While Fiji’s finish against South Africa was strong, Baber recognized the need for continuous improvement.
“It was a good finish but we recognize there is a lot of work that needs to be done to put yourself in those top four spots and push through to finals.”
As Fiji prepares for the upcoming Singapore tournament on May 3-5, Baber is focused on developing the team’s performance to meet the nation’s high expectations.
“Ultimately our goal is to be in that finals play-off,” Baber concluded.
