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'Bring Tuwai into coaching team and eject players past their prime' - Delasau
By Chris Jones
Vilimoni Delasau, the former Fiji rugby sevens wing, wants double Olympic Games gold medallist Jerry Tuwai added to the coaching team preparing the squad for the Paris Olympics this summer and to help secure a first HSBC SVNS title for Ben Gollings, the under fire head coach.
Delasau told SUNsports, it is also vital that young talent is brought into the squad rather than continuing with established players who may have lost their edge at the highest level.
“But that is not happening,” he said. “If you watch these players now, some have passed their prime. We need to take new players who are hungry.”
A recent meeting between Gollings and Tuwai reportedly cleared the air between the men after the playmaker revealed the coach had told him to play in regional tournaments to prove he can still be a force on the sevens circuit.
This prompted Tuwai to question Gollings’ ability to run the squad.
Delasau, who played 29 times for the Flying Fijians and took part in the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups, registered 85 tries in his sevens career and added: “I am not too sure what the deal with Ben Gollings is?
"It hurts to see what can be done, is not being done. If I was to choose I will put him (Tuwai) in the coaching panel with (Sireli) Bobo, maybe (Isake) Katonibau or some other senior players who has done it before.
“Sevens (rugby) from my experience is one year, second year is okay. When it goes to the third year, you start to lose interest. You just go for the money or go for the tour. That’s what I experienced, in my third year I was looking forward to signing a fifteens contract and going overseas.
“What is the use of development when we continue to pick the same players time and again? We do pick one or two new players but why not pick five or seven new players one go? What’s the use of development when we keep on picking the same squad?
“We have so much depth. At the Coral Coast tournament, some new players were also commended by USA coach Mike Friday.”
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Latest Comments
That is true, it might be just as much about celebrating freedom as remembrance. Or maybe that’s just the angle sold in the US I’ve become familiar with? I certainly don’t know, but if all the ones still remembering by turning out on the day don’t mind it revolving around a rugby test instead (that’s the issue you know?), then I’m all for it.
Maybe that’s why I remember a lot of angst when league first did it then? For them, they probably had to follow the AFL no matter what some people though. I just a) don’t think rugby has to (RA might), and b) always had the reason it didn’t being it was inappropriate.
But you’re saying I’m wrong in that last assertion?
Go to commentsSpot on - good comment. And I agree in terms of potential of some of these players. Tangitau needs to be picked as well. So much talent, Razor needs to give them a chance over the dregs of Fozzie’s squads
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