Ben Gollings has degraded Fiji sevens squad claims ex wing
The latest failure by Ben Gollings to deliver an HSBC SVNS title at the Vancouver SVNS has seen another call for the head coach to be replaced with a claim he has “degraded” the team in the build-up to the defence of the Olympic Games gold medal in Paris this summer.
Former Fiji rugby sevens wing Vilimoni Delasau has once again piled the pressure on Gollings by repeating his call for double Olympic gold medallist Jerry Tuwai to step in and coach the team to the Paris Olympic Games alongside former sevens captain Sireli Bobo. “I just saw the news this afternoon and it is really disappointing,” Delasau told the Fiji Sun.
“I don’t know if he [Gollings] was sent to degrade our sevens [rugby] standard or what. I’m tired of what they [Fiji Rugby Union] are doing. They are keeping him [Gollings] there when he is not performing.
“Sireli Bobo has proven himself time and again. I believe Jerry Tuwai should take the team to the Olympics. I don’t know if Jerry is ready to play as I believe he’s ready to coach. I think he’s past his prime as a player and I believe he will be one of the best coaches for our sevens team.”
His call for a major change in the coaching set-up comes after the Fiji men’s sevens team lost in the cup quarterfinal of the Vancouver SVNS. The Fijians were beaten 21-19 by New Zealand and earlier on they went down 24-19 to eventual winners Argentina in their final pool match.
Argentina won their third consecutive men’s title with 36-12 victory over New Zealand in Vancouver while France took bronze which means Fiji have slipped to third in the overall table behind Argentina and Ireland.
The fifth round of SVNS Series 2024 takes place in Los Angeles on 1-3 March with Fiji in the same pool as Great Britain, France and Canada.
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> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
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