This is what renowned 7s commentator Keith Quinn said after Fiji won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, “The gold medal is thoroughly deserved, but back home and here, it is a million smiles from Fiji.
Fiji is the Olympic champion and in what style did they do it! From the first whistle, they utterly dominated this final.
And in a campaign like this, it’s a 12-men effort.” Hence, drilled, banned from alcohol and on a mobile phone ban as per coach Ben Ryan’s rules, Fiji’s first Olympic medal provided World Rugby with a fairytale ending to the sport’s position on the new platform. As our boys stepped onto the podium to receive their gold medals from Princess Anne, tears fl owed freely.
The noise was deafening at home, as people took to the streets to express their excitement. The nation came to a halt. Everything stopped. Celebrations were wild. It was hard to believe that a tiny dot on the world map had won an Olympic gold medal. Many rugby fans overseas went to the internet to find where Fiji was on the world map.
On a chilly Friday morning, our 7s heroes grabbed our first Olympic gold medal. Amid tears, I was left speechless and on the verge of losing my voice because of all the cheering.
It was such an emotional moment, especially seeing our players display pride and passion before, during and after the gruelling encounter with Great Britain, a combination of the fl air of Wales, England and Scotland rugby teams. Our Olympics squad, which was coached by Ben Ryan, had Apisai Domolailai, Jasa Veremalua, Semi Kunatani, Viliame Mata, Leone Nakarawa, Kitione Taliga, Osea Kolinisau, Josua Tuisova, Jerry Tuwai, Samisoni Viriviri, Savenaca Rawaca, Masivesi Dakuwaqa and Vatemo Ravouvou.
They had the edge over Great Britain, which was coached by Simon Amor and had Scotland’s Mark Robertson and Mark Bennett, England’s Ruaridh McConnochie, Phil Burgess, Dan Norton, James Rodwell, Dan Bibby, Tom Mitchell, Marcus Watson and Ollie Lindsay- Hague, and Wales’ James Davies and Sam Cross.
Fiji outclassed Great Britain 43-7, scoring seven tries to Great Britain’s single try. Heading to the Tokyo Olympic Games, Fiji has been seeded top on pool B, alongside Great Britain, Japan and Canada. Canada has roped in big names in Phil Berna, Connor Braid, Andrew Coe, Justin Douglas, Mike Fuailefau, Lucas Hammond, Nathan Hirayama, Harry Jones, Patrick Kay, Matt Mullins, Theo Sauder, Jake Thiel and Connor Trainor.
These names are not new on the HSBC WRSS circuit. Great Britain has also named a powerful side and included the likes of Alec Coombes, Ben Harris, Ethan Waddleton, Ross Mc- Cann, Alex Davis, Tom Mitchell, Dan Bibby, Dan Norton, Robbie Ferguson, Harry Glover, Ollie Lindsay-Hague, Max McFarland and Tom Bowen, while Japan has called up the likes of Kippei Ishida, Ryota Kano, Jose Seru, Kameli Soejima, Lote Tuqiri, Kazushi Hano, Masakatsu Hikosaka, Yoshikazu Fujita, Brackin Henry, Colin Bourke, Chihiti Matasui and Naoki Motomura. Our pool opponents have named strong squads that can cause upsets.
The nation awaits Gareth Baber’s squad with bated breath, and I’m sure that he will name the best to defend our Rio Olympics Games gold medal. Until then, happy reading! Cheers!
