Fiji 7s Ready for High-Stakes Showdown: Defending Champs Face Do-or-Die Challenge in Dubai
As the Fiji Airways Fiji men’s 7s team prepares for this weekend’s Dubai 7s, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Under the new tournament format, where every pool match is essentially a knockout, the margin for error is razor-thin. The defending champions face the challenge of maintaining their impressive standards from last season in a structure that punishes even the smallest slip-up.
Head coach Osea Kolinisau is focused on his team’s execution rather than the added pressure of being the title holders. “Every game we play is like a quarter-final,” Kolinisau explained. “We can’t afford to slip up, and the boys know that we need to be at our best from the start. We’re not letting the back-to-back pressure get to us—we’re here to attack this tournament again.”
Despite the weight of defending their crown, Kolinisau insists the team is keeping an aggressive, forward-focused mindset. “We’re not just here to defend; we’re here to perform. We’ve been training hard, and we need to execute what we’ve learned in the last few weeks to get a good start,” he said.
Fiji’s opening match will be against Argentina at 9:10 pm on Saturday, followed by a clash with South Africa at 12:16 am on Sunday, and then their final pool game against France at 4:12 am on Sunday. With a tough pool ahead, including formidable teams like Argentina, South Africa, and France, the defending champions will have to be at their very best if they are to defend their title at the HSBC Dubai 7s.
