Former Fiji 7s captain Kalione Nasoko has impressed head coach Gareth Baber during training following his lengthy recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which he suffered in 2019.
Nasoko is part of the 18-member Fiji 7s squad that is in Brisbane preparing for the 2021 PacificAus Sports Oceania Sevens tournament which will be held in Townsville, North Queensland, Australia from June 25-27.
According to Baber, Nasoko had trained particularly well working on himself and sacrificed a lot to get him where he needed to be. Baber said Nasoko put extra effort during training to get back into shape because he did not have the same game time as the others in the squad.
“It is great to see him at his leading best during training sessions and not only just on the field of play but also when it came down to the conditioning sessions,” Baber said.
“He has been leading the players on the standards that are necessary in the group.”
Nasoko sustained the ACL injury during the HSBC Canada 7s which proved to be a big blow for the ‘Yasawa Flyer’ as it prevented him from pursuing his professional career with Pro 14 club Edinburgh Rugby.
After his recovery Nasoko featured for the Police Blues team in the Fiji Rugby Union’s Super Sevens Series earlier this year earning him a recall into the national training squad.
