It’s scheduled for August but it’s almost upon us, it seems. The inclusion of the 7s rugby in the 2016 Rio Olympics has generated so much hype, interest and excitement.

Our small rugby nation can’t wait as our ‘Island Boys’ stand a good chance of basking in glory at the four-yearly global showpiece.

Fiji has never won a medal since taking part in its first Olympic Games in 1956 in Melbourne, Australia, and a Pacific island nation has never claimed gold either. The success of our team on the World Sevens Series continues to build our confidence that we are on track in our quest to create something extraordinary in Rio.

Coach Ben Ryan has turned the right screw in fine-tuning our players since taking over as coach in September, 2013. And we can’t thank the Englishman from Wimbledon, London enough. He made so much sacrifice to get Fiji to be the top 7s team in the world going into Rio. He volunteered to go unpaid for the first four months, due to financial constraints at Rugby House, of his contract-this is a first and a rarity for an International top tier head coach.

He led the team to a tournament victory, winning the Dubai 7s for the first time in the nation’s history in only his second tournament in charge.

As coach of Fiji, he has won six tournaments, two in the 2013–14 season and four in the 2014–15 overtaking the record set by a former coach, Waisale Serevi who won four Cup titles with Fiji.

In May 2015, Fiji were crowned the overall winners of the 2014–15 Sevens World Series after defeating South Africa in the Cup quarterfinal of the 2015 London Sevens giving Ryan his first ever Sevens World Series title.

Under Ryan, the team continues to glow in their playing style. The team plays with a completely different style to all the other teams, blending Fijian flair and risks other teams won’t dare to do.

But perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the preparation is how the players are actually sacrificing, like Ben, to make it happen.

Ryan was surprised on the how the players followed his off-season programme to detail when he returned after the festive holiday.

“They come in fit, wanting to learn and get better and I can’t ask for anymore.”

Last year the team faced an early exit from the Cake Tin after being beaten 10-0 by South Africa in the Cup semifinal. Skipper Osea Kolinisau and Semi Kunatani were also cited for dangerous tackles. But the team made amends beating New Zealand 35-19 in the Cup final in Las Vegas a week later.

The team is now one of the most disciplined on the sevens circuit and we are confident they will continue do us proud this weekend.

Osea Bola

Feedback:  oseab@fijisun.com.fj