Fijian playmaker Ilai Tinai and Welsh player Lee Williams hit the ground during the Hong Kong Sevens Cup final. This was the incident which led to Tinai being cited by the International Rugby Board (IRB) for spear tackling Williams and banned for a week. This means that the Digicel Fiji 7s team will be without the elusive player for the Tokyo 7s this weekend. Tinai helped Fiji beat Wales 26-19 to retain the Hong Kong title on Sunday.

By VUNIWAQA BOLA-BARI

National reps should be given tests on the laws of rugby, says Sailosi Naiteqe Snr.
The national sevens selector made the call after Digicel Fiji 7s playmaker Ilai Tinai was ruled out  for a week and will miss the Tokyo 7s in Japan this weekend.
Tinai was cited for a spear tackle he made on Lee Williams in the Cup final against Wales in Hong Kong on Sunday.
Tinai received a yellow card but was lucky to get away with the red card offence.
Naiteqe said it would be good to test players on their knowledge of the game.
“They need to be tested on the laws of the game, because these offences are the same ones that our players often commit  on the HSBC Sevens World Series,” Naiteqe said.
“What can be done is give them a test after an intensive training session. It’s always best to test players when they are tired as it brings out the true picture of the players mental ability and knowledge of the game.”
He said if players commit the same offence often, they need to be rested to allow them to learn more from outside and to prepare them mentally.
“A good example is Nemani Nagusa-he is one player that commits a lot of foul play but when given the responsibility to be the captain, he got better.
“So it all depends on the mentality of each individual player. Our weakness is that we try to carry out trials on every law to see the outcome.”
With Tinai out, Naiteqe said speedster Samisoni Viriviri can cover at the playmaker position.
And he thinks the team can win again in Japan this weekend.
‘Nothing is impossible, with the men we have, we can do it again.”