As the Fiji 7s men’s team arrived in Rio today, sports channel ESPN has rated Fiji as the favorites in next week’s Rio Olympics 7s competition and the Fijiana have also been rated as a major threat.
ESPN says that Fiji is expected to rule on the men’s side and headed to Rio as favourites after winning the 2016 World Sevens Series.
But they will face fierce competition from USA, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain.
Kenya will also have aspirations of a gold medal after winning their first leg on last season’s Sevens Series.
On the women’s side, Australia are the favourites after dominating the recent Sevens Series but Fiji, New Zealand, Canada and Great Britain will all be hot on their heels.
Speaking from Rio, Fiji 7s Manager, Ropate Kauvesi says they have gone straight to business.
Meanwhile 44‑year‑old Ben Ryan has the potential to become a history maker and guide Fiji to our first Olympic medal, although he is under no illusions anything less than gold will be deemed a failure.
Ryan has told standard.co.uk that people have told him not to come back if Fiji does not win gold, with Fijian Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama among those to have voiced such words to his face.
Ryan is only partially joking when he says he can only return to his Fijian home, with a gold medal around his and his players’ necks.
He says the passion for the game in Fiji is something else.
Ryan says if you win, you come back as heroes; if you lose, it’s something else.
So seriously is 7s taken in Fiji that Ryan, since the early money mishap, is now paid directly by the government.
It has been revealed that regardless of the result and his future C Ben Ryan would like to try his hand coaching XVs rugby C he will be eternally grateful to Fiji for recapturing his love for both coaching and the wider sport.
Ryan’s father Dennis, who is sadly not alive to see his son’s potential career high, was a travelling reserve in javelin at the 1948 and 1952 Olympic Games.
Ryan has the chance to pen a more successful chapter in the family’s Olympic history and that of Fiji.
The Fiji men’s 7s side will take on Brazil in their first Rio Olympics pool game at 4.30am next Wednesday, they will then face Argentina at 9.30am next Wednesday before taking on USA at 4.30am next Thursday.
The quarterfinals will start at 8am next Thursday, the semis will start at 5.30am next Friday and the final will kick off at 10am next Friday.
The Fijiana 7s team will take on USA in their first pool match at 4am this Sunday. They play Australia at 9.30am and then take on Colombia at 4am Monday.
