Party time
THE party did not stop for people of Bukuya who continued celebration of Fiji's win at the Gold Coast 7s until late yesterday. Glued to their television sets, the people of this interior village in the Nausori highlands were jubilant with Fiji's performance at the tournament. Former heavyweight boxing champion Silovate Rasaku told Times Sport yesterday they have been celebrating with yagona since the final on Sunday night.
Joji awarded
GOLD Coast 7s Player of the Tournament Joji Ragamate said he was not expecting the award. The Wardens playmaker, who scored a hat-trick in the final, was consistent with his performance throughout the tournament. He was also named in the TV commentators 'Dream Team' alongside Alipate Ratini. "I thank the lord for everything he has done for us, especially the new boys. They pulled up their socks and came to this level of rugby and I am thankful for that," he told irb.com.
Top seed
FIJI is top seed in the next leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series in Dubai on November 30 and December 1. The Alivereti Dere-coached side is pooled with Kenya, Spain and Scotland in Poo One. The Kenyan coached by former England 7s mentor Mike Friday looks threatening after finishing fourth in the Gold Coast 7s over the weekend. "The boys are unassuming, they are big imposing guys, but really humble, have a good work ethic and we have a family spirit that we harness. We talk about being a pack of lions in what we do and it's something the boys pride themselves on," Friday told irb.com.
Leading scorer
JOJI Ragamate was the leading points scorer at the Gold Coast 7s in Australia over the weekend. The prison officer scored 59 points to lead the tally ahead of James Fleming (Scotland) and Cornal Hendricks (South Africa), who were second on 40 points each. Ragamate also scored seven tries, which was the third most number of tries scored in the opening leg of the series. He was also named the third most goal scorer with 12. New find Alipate Ratini, who was named in the Dream Team along with Ragamate, scored six tries. The Fiji 7s team was rated behind South Africa as the best overall team performer.