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Fiji legend Jerry Tuwai raises concerns to new coach ahead of Olympics
By Chris Jones
Double Olympic gold medal winner and sevens legend Jerry Tuwai has admitted he is not yet fit enough to bid for a place in Fiji’s sevens squad.
Tuwai’s relationship with Ben Gollings, the Fiji 7s head coach who was recently sacked, was seen as a major distraction with the former play-maker being told he wasn’t ready to be picked for the HSBC SVNS series events. Now new head coach Osea Kolinisau has confirmed he is monitoring his former teammate’s fitness in the hope he can help defend Fiji’s Olympic gold in Paris this summer.
Kolinisau confirmed to local media that Tuwai, 34, and play-maker Vatemo Ravouvou are back in the Fiji men’s training squad. All three were members of the gold medal-winning team at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil.
He said: “We had an honest chat and Jerry knows where he is at. Jerry said ‘coach, I’m not there yet and I need a month’. I said come into camp and I will come and monitor your fitness. So Jerry is in camp. It’s good to have Jerry around, the knowledge he has, the only two-time Olympian gold medallist in rugby. It’s good to have him around in terms of leadership and mentor the young players.
“Ravouvou is in camp, he is looking fit and looking forward to see him play in the Marist Sevens. He is always vocal in the game and his kicking as well that’s an area we looking to address. He’s not guaranteed a spot, even though we played together for years.”
Kolinisau has taken charge of the men’s sevens team four months away from the Olympic Games but is confident there is enough time to defend the gold medal in Paris with Fiji having won the gold medal in Rio and Tokyo.
The grand finale of the SVNS series is in Madrid from May 31 to June 2, six weeks before the Paris Games with Fiji currently third in the table behind Argentina and Ireland heading into the famous Hong Kong Sevens on April 5-7.
“Nothing is impossible, it depends on our preparations – how I prep and what the boys are going to bring in,” he added.
“I have spoken to some of the boys who wanted to come especially the ones overseas, you only have six weeks – it’s on you whether you want it or not, I’ll invite you camp. I’ve told the boys in camp as well, it’s up to you whether you want to show me what it takes. To me I believe Fiji can do it.”
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Warren, if you think you should stay on coaching Wales, you are beyond deluded. If you love Wales & Welsh rugby as much as you say you do (& I'm sure you probably do) you should resign immediately so this once proud & passionate rugby nation can rebuild without you. How many of your players will make the British & Irish Lions squad.?
It's time to walk the plank.!
Go to commentsYeah nar I pretty much agree with that sentiment, wasn't just about the lineout though.
Yeah, I think it's the future of SR, even TRC. Graham above just now posting about how good a night it was with a dbl header of ENGvSA and NZvFrance, and now I don't want to kick SA or Argentina out of TRC but it would be great if in this next of the woods 2 more top teams could come in to create more of these sort of nights (for rugby's appeal). Often Arg and SA and both travel here and you get those games but more often doesn't work out right.
Obviously a long way off but USA and Japan are the obvious two. First thing we need to do is get Eddie Jones kicked out of Japan so they can start improving again and then get a couple of US teams in SRP (even if one its just a US based and augmented Jaguares).
It will start off the whole conferences are crap debate again (which I will continue to argue vehemently against), but imagine a 6 team Pacific conference, Tokyo Sunwolves (drafted from Tokyo JRLO teams), Tokyo All Stars (made up of best remaining foreign players and overseas drafts), ALL Nihon (best of local non Tokyo based talent, inc China/Korea etc, with mainland Japan), a could of West Coast american franchises and perhaps a second self PI driven Hawai'i based team, or Jagaures. So I see a short NFL like 3 or 4 month comp as fitting best, maybe not even a full round, NZvAUSvPAC, all games taking place within a 6hr window. Model for NZ will definitely still require a competitive and funded NPC!
On the Crusaders, I liked last years ending with Grace on the bench (ovbiously form dependent but thats how it ended) and Lio-Willie at 8. I could have Blackadder trying to be a 7 but think balance will be used with him at 6 and Kellow as 7. Scott Barrett is an international 6 sized player. It is just NZ style/model that pushes him into the tight, I reckon he'd be a great loose player, and saders have Strange and Cahill as bigger players (plus that change could draw someone like Darry back). Same with Haig now, hes not grown yet but Barrett hight and been playing 6, now that the Highlanders have only chosen two locks he'll be playing lock, and that is going to change his growth trajectory massively, rather than seeing him grow like an International 6.
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