‘Let’s do it right’ – 7s coach Baber says Fiji should bid to host a world event

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National sevens head coach Gareth Baber works with his players during a training session at the Uprising Beach Resort sports complex in Deuba on Thursday, January 28, 2021. Picture: JONACANI LALAKOBAU

FIJI 7s coach Gareth Baber believes it is high time that one of the world’s best in the abbreviated code, hosts a tournament in the World Rugby Sevens Series.

Baber made the comment when asked about World Rugby’s announcement last week on calling for expressions of interests from rugby nations in hosting future Rugby World Cups.

World Rugby said the process to determine future hosts of the men’s and women’s RWC had officially kicked off with the start of the dialogue phase.

It enables interested nations to start to shape bids that are great for hosts and rugby. World Rugby is running an innovative integrated process to determine hosts of the 2025 and 2029 women’s events, and the 2027 and 2031 men’s events.

Fiji, being the champion in 7s rugby, had showed interest in the past to host a tournament of the World Rugby Sevens Series.

With the World Cup Sevens in South Africa next year, Baber said Fiji should continue to show interest.

“For us not to have a World Rugby Sevens Series event is a travesty of justice in many respects,” Baber said.

“I know that the Fiji Rugby Union wants to bring it here and I know that World Rugby wants to bring it here, we have just to make sure that we do it right.”

There were talks in 2019 of the possibility of moving the Hamilton 7s tournament to Fiji in 2023 after the completion of proposed redevelopment of Prince Charles Park in Nadi.

“I am so proud of what we can do in this country. We don’t think there is any country in the world that can put a 7s tournament on like we do, but the criteria that is set rightly by World Rugby and rightly so in relation to pitch, and accommodation and travel times, and that push is on us and FRU to get there, and we are continually trying to do that.

“A big thing for us in this country is not to get comfortable, we have to get uncomfortable chasing things that we need to get in place because we are one of the best rugby 7s playing nations in the world.”

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