So much has been shared and said after the debacle in the Wellington sevens.

That is behind us now. The Sydney sevens beginning today is the focus. We learn from Wellington and go forward with a renewed sense of hope and commitment.

Ben Ryan and his men have a formidable task ahead of them because hopefully when they run into the ground today, they will have discarded the demons of Wellington.

The big lesson they should have learned is that you never allow the opposition to dictate the game. When you let the opposition gain ascendency, it effectively means you surrender the control of the game to the opposition. It becomes a lethal combination if the opposition is stacked with speed merchants.

South Africa had a perfect game plan in their semi-final against Fiji. They frustrated the Fijian pattern and capitalised on the mistakes. They unleashed their fast men to pounce on the loose ball and scored the important tries.

Rugby is a serious and exciting game. It is exciting because it can be full of surprises. Who would ever thought that South Africa would smash Fiji. It should have been the other way around, according to Fijian fans and what appears on paper.

As we move to Sydney all Fijian fans are hoping for a better performance from our reps. They are expecting Fiji to win the inaugural tournament.

And this is how they can do it:

 Maintain exposure. The reps cannot afford to lose their cool. Be competitive but discipline is absolutely crucial. They totally lost it in Wellington;

 Communication is essential. They must talk to each other and help one another. It was evident not much of this was happening in the semi-final against South Africa;

 Use rush defence. Do not give room for speedsters to move. They will relish space and use open field to outsprint opposition;

 One on one tackles must be made without any exception. Deny opposition possession at every opportunity;

 Have a sweeper covering the back

 Win kickoffs;

 Be hungry for the ball and when you have it, retain possession; and

 Play your natural game and enjoy the atmosphere.

Samoa, France and Argentina are difficult pool opponents. They are all highly fancied teams and cannot be taken lightly. 

On paper, we have a team that can top the pool unbeaten and go on to win the tournament. The inaugural Sydney title should be motivation enough to beat everyone this weekend. Go Fiji Go!