As only hours remain for the Rugby World Cup, the Digicel Fiji 7s team is cautious of Tonga in its first pool match early tomorrow morning.
Coach Alifereti Dere said the message has been given to the players to work on their strong defensive tactics, work as a team on attack and get away from individual play.
Dere said he and trainer, Tomasi Cama Senior know that Tonga will be tough and they also have Etuate Waqa as coach who knows the Fiji team well.
He said the team is also motivated after the presentation of the jerseys by Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.
Captain Lepani Botia is calling on the people of Fiji to support the team this weekend.
Dere is also calling on people to wear the Fiji colours, fly the Fiji flag and cheer for the Digicel Fiji 7s team as it begins its quest to win the Melrose Cup.
The run on team against Tonga is: Leone Nakarawa, Lepani Botia, Waisea Nayacalevu, Joji Ragamate, Metuisela Talebula, Vereniki Goneva and Samisoni Viriviri.
Meanwhile the team that will really come out firing will be South Africa as they have won three tournaments in this year’s series and talk in camp is that they are out to win the Cup for Nelson Mandela who is currently in hospital.
The South African Sevens rugby team held an emotional capping ceremony earlier today, as they get ready to take on Russia in their first match.
Oregan Hoskins, president of the South African Rugby Football Union asked Captain Kyle Brown and his team to ‘keep Madiba in their hearts’ as they look to win the Melrose Cup for the first time.
In an emotional message, Hoskins says as rugby people they owe former President Mandela so much and it would be very fitting if South Africa can win this title with the Springbok emblem on their jerseys, the badge of honour former president Mandela was so keen to protect.
He said everyone knows Mandela is not well, so a good performance will be a fine way to show support to his legacy as the father of the nation and a custodian of SA rugby.
Springbok Sevens rugby captain, Kyle Brown, who will incidentally be wearing the number six on his back, just as Francois Pienaar in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final in South Africa, said his team is ready to confront their destiny.
Meanwhile it has been 12 years since the New Zealand 7's team lifted the Melrose Cup.
Four years ago New Zealand lost to eventual winners Wales in the quarter finals in one of the shocks of the tournament and before that they lost out to Fiji in the 2005 final.
Captain DJ Forbes said they did receive some words of wisdom from the 2001 winning New Zealand 7's team before they left for Russia.
Four years ago Wales coach Paul John led a promising young team of 80-1 outsiders to Rugby World Cup Sevens glory.
He said they are trying to treat this as just another tournament, but the title defence is an added incentive that the boys are aware of, and as a World Cup it's a special occasion.
The majority of his core group of players is fit and raring to go under Captain Adam Thomas and there is an unmistakable degree of experience there.
With six pools of four in the men's competition and only eight quarter final places up for grabs, the brutal reality is that they need three wins from three games to guarantee their last eight berth.
The World Cup 7s kicks off at 11 tonight.
Fiji will play Tonga at 12.28am tomorrow in their first pool match of the 7s World Cup.
We then take on Uruguay at 6.28pm tomorrow and Fiji's last pool match is against Wales at 12.42am Sunday.
The Cup quarterfinals start at 9pm Sunday, the Cup semis kick off at 12.40am Monday while the World Cup 7s final will start at 4.55am Monday.
Story by: Vijay Narayan
