FLYING Fijians head coach Inoke Male has named 34 forwards for the 2013 Pacific Rugby Cup training squad for the first camp.
With memories of the dismal Europe tour still fresh in his mind, Male said the forward pack needed a lot of attention.
He told the Fiji Rugby Union website that they would work on the forward pack first before moving on to the backline.
The camp was scheduled to start today but has been postponed because of bad weather and the new dates for the camp will be revealed later.
"The reason the first camp consists of only the forward pack is because this is the main area that we have identified needs a lot of attention," Male told fijirugby.com.
"During the Europe tour we were penalised a lot and weren't able to contest at the scrums and this is where our focus point will begin before we start working on the backline," he said.
He said there was no off-season training session last year and he wanted to bring it back so players could maintain their form until the new season starts.
"Last year there weren't any off-season training, but this year I have decided to go ahead with it, to keep the boys fit because we all know that during the festive season the players tend to eat and drink a lot and slow down on their training.
"If I still recall, the last time there was an off-season training was during my days as a professional player. After that it lapsed but now I am bringing it back again so that the players will remain in their peak form even after the festivities."
The former national rep added players should shoulder the responsibility of their own fitness and not wait for orders from the team coaches and management.
"Every year the boys rely on us coaches and trainers to help them lose weight and bring their fitness levels back up to par.
"They overeat and slow down on their training knowing that when they get back into camp we will help them get fit again, which really defeats the purpose of being a professional rugby player.
"From now on it will be their individual responsibility to maintain their fitness levels during Christmas and New Year.
"This first camp will be to test their strength and endurance and when they break camp, we will send them home with their Daily Training Programs.
"Their training programs will be for six weeks, at the end of which we will have trials around mid-February, we will then select a team for the PRC which will be in March," Male said.