GETTING back to a podium finish will be on the minds of Fijiana 7s players when they take to the field at the Hamilton 7s in New Zealand next weekend.
After making headlines at major events for the past two seasons, the Fijiana side is yet to get out of the blocks after two tournaments on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
After a fifth place finish in Dubai, the Fijiana fell to a seventh place fi nish in Cape Town in December last year.
On the series standings, the Fijiana is on sixth position with 20 points, six points outside the top four.
Team captain Rusila Nagasau said the past three weeks of preparation had come with a lot of sacrifices.
“For us, these three weeks of training has been a tough one. We sacrificed our Christmas and New Year festivities and this is something we love to do, which is to train and play rugby for our nation,” Nagasau said.
She said the new girls in the team had stepped up and pushed the experienced ones to do better.
“We have some new girls coming in and we are very happy as they have put their hands up to play for the Fijiana team and that is something we really appreciate.
“For the young players who have joined, they have been working hard with the senior players. That’s something which has motivated us senior players to set a standard at training.”
Fiji is pooled with New Zealand, Great Britain and Papua New Guinea for the Hamilton event.
Nagasau says winning against New Zealand will not be easy but her team has what it takes to beat them.
“Playing against New Zealand, for us that is nothing new but it is something we really need to work hard for especially on and off the field. Playing the best team in the world, you have to be at your best. We really need to be prepared mentally as well.
“Our fitness level is something we are working on right now. A good combination going into Hamilton and Sydney is another thing we are focusing on.”
The Fijiana side leaves for Hamilton on Monday with the tournament to be played next Saturday and Sunday.
INTERVIEW WITH RUSILA NAGASAU – FIJIANA 7s TEAM CAPTAIN
