Fijian Prime Minister sends emphatic message over Ben Gollings' future

Fiji sevens head coach Ben Gollings’ failure to win a leg of the HSBC SVNS since his appointment has now been raised by the country’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who has given the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) an ultimatum to call a meeting to address the performances of the Fiji Airways Men’s National 7s team.

Speaking to the FijiTimes and local media after the official opening of parliament, Mr Rabuka said if FRU fails to call a meeting, then the government will do so.

“Why have we achieved those results? Is that our best effort? Those will have to come in the discussion between government and management,” Prime Minister Rabuka said.

The pressure on Gollings has been building for weeks with his inability to conjure up a win after 19 tournaments under the leadership. The team finished a disappointing sixth despite some success in the pool stages of the Los Angeles tournament, which has just finished with France winning their first title for 19 years after drafting in 15s captain Antoine Dupont.

Recently, Gollings has faced a backlash for not involving double Olympic Gold medal winner Jerry Tuwai as either a squad member or a coach.

A clear-the-air meeting hosted by the FRU appeared to have headed off further angst between Tuwai and the head coach, but the situation is not going away any time soon with the defence of Fiji’s Olympic Gold in France looming.

Vilimoni Delasau, the former Fiji rugby sevens wing, recently piled the pressure on Gollings by repeating his call for Tuwai to step in and coach the team to the Paris Olympic Games alongside former sevens captain Sireli Bobo.

“I don’t know if he (Gollings) was sent to degrade our sevens (rugby) standard or what, Delasau said. "I’m tired of what they (Fiji Rugby Union) are doing. They are keeping him (Gollings) there when he is not performing.”