We continue celebrating for the next four years our Olympic gold medal win in Rio last month.

Our Fijian rugby sevens team added another new icing on our rugby brand and put us in the international sporting spotlight like never before.

Winning the first ever sevens rugby gold medal at the Olympics was for those who dare and the Osea Kolinisau-captained team lived the dream, stood the test to bring us glory.

And it’s only opportune that our Flying Fijians also dare and carry on the image in the international test arena.

Whether our Flying Fijians play in Twickenham, London, Millennium Stadium in Cardiff or at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney they will always to be referred to as the Olympic rugby champions.

We are in prime position and it is therefore important that the Flying Fijians carry the legacy.

World Rugby Helping               

World Rugby has done its part making us a proud sporting nation at the Deodoro Stadium in Rio and continues to contribute financially in the development of the 15s game in the region as we look forward to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

We are on track as we continued to establish our dominance in the region winning the 2016 Pacific Rugby Cup and the Pacific Nations Cup which also serves as a first round qualifier for the 2019 RWC.

World Rugby has revived up the competitive status for our Telecom Fijian Warriors by including them in the Americas Pacific Challenge 2016, a new “A” team tournament.

The inaugural event which includes Samoa A, USA Selects, Canada A, Uruguay A and Argentina XV will be hosted in Montevideo, Uruguay on October 8 to 16.

The ‘A’ tournaments has been introduced to boost the high-performance pathway for the test arena and supports the ARC and PNC as well as November international test window preparation.

The APC will give teams an opportunity to bring through young players and give competitive game time to players who want to step up to the next level.

The November tests should provide a real step up for our Flying Fijians particularly with the big test against England at Twickenham.

England has also revamped its rugby brand under new coach Eddie Jones winning the Six Nations for the first time since 2011 and claiming a historic 3-test win Down Under against the Wallabies.

England has never been in better hands since Sir Clive Woodward’s team won the 2003 RWC. Fiji has never beaten England and it’s about time we dare, play our ‘A’ game and make a mark.

Government Supporting

The Bainimarama Government’s unwavering support for sports development is what making Fiji a hub for sporting activities.

The Fiji International, now in its third year, continues to grow with a stronger international field when it tees off at the Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course next month.

The first Super Rugby match held in Suva between the Crusaders and Chiefs was a tremendous success and will continue to grow.

“We will host Super rugby game between New Zealand franchises next year,”Minister for Youth and Sports Laisenia Tuitubou said yesterday.

“There’s also interest from the Australian franchises which we could host in 2018 and 2019.”

World Rugby, the Government, sponsors and stakeholders have provided support and mechanism for players to excel.The onus is all for those involved to deliver the ‘A’ game.

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