THE Digicel Fiji sevens players continue to improve on their fitness level following the analysis of the latest beep test of the extended national squad members at the High Performance Unit Gym in Laucala.
The 21-member training squad was named following the test and Fiji 7s trainer Max Hughes said the fitness of these players was up to par.
Hughes said some of the players in the squad had achieved Level 13 in the fitness test which showed their commitment to represent the country in the upcoming leg of the International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens World Series.
He said they had set a benchmark for players to achieve Level 13 before the Wellington and Las Vegas 7s next month to be in consideration for the Rugby World Cup (RWC) 7s in June this year.
"The test last week and the week before that was to gauge the fitness of the players and see what needs to be done in the remaining days to achieve the desired result," Hughes said.
"But we were quite impressed to see some players hitting the Level 13 mark which is a good sign.
"We hope to achieve the target set for the players before the next leg."
After reviewing Fiji's performance so far in the IRB 7s series, Hughes said fitness was not a problem with the side.
Hughes said mental toughness was something the coaches need to work on to see the national side put a much improved performance in Wellington 7s on February 1 to 2.
"In Dubai and South Africa, the players' fitness was not a problem. They were running throughout the game but it was the mental side which we lacked on."
Hughes also said the challenge for Alifereti Dere and his assistant Timoci Wainiqolo would be blending of the new players in the team.
With almost half of the 21-member squad are new players, he said combination building would be the team's major focus in the remaining days.
The 21-member squad sees each position is covered by three players respectively to allow Dere to select the best team for the RWC 7s to be held in Moscow Russia.