With Amenoni Nasilasila out of the Vodafone Fijian 7s team for the Sydney leg, captain Osea Kolinisau is happy to have Emosi Mulevoro back in the team.

Mulevoro joined the team on Tuesday for the World Sevens Series in the fourth leg as Fiji look for their first win in Sydney.

Experience and knowledge of the game will be an added bonus in the game which is where Mulevoro comes in, says Kolinisau.

“Sevens is a physical sport and you have to expect injuries because it will happen whether you like it or not,” Kolinisau said.

“That is why we have back-up, though we will miss the presence of Nasilasila, we are proud to have Emosi back.

“He brings experience into the team and also the noise which is always good for the team.

“Emosi has been in this position before and he knows what to expect and knows what needs to be done in order to put in a good performance so I think this change will benefit the boys a lot.”

Coming off after falling short in the final in Wellington losing to South Africa 26-5, Kolinisau said the team needs to get their body and mind in the right place.

“Preparations have been really good, we have been learning from our mistakes last week and trying to get the body and mind right again for this week,” he said.

“It is not about smashing everybody, it is about getting the body where it needs to be and mind where it needs to be.

“We always go to a tournament planning to win and we will try to go one better this week. The boys are eager and excited and hopefully whatever we do will end in a positive for us over the weekend.”

Playing against Pacific rivals Samoa, in Pool B, who is coached by Sir Gordon Tietjens, Kolinisau said it will be interesting but at the same time tough.

“Our pool is always a tough one, any pool is tough because the competition has got really good as teams have been preparing really well.

“Samoa is always a good team to play against, the Pacifc rivalry with Samoa will be interesting and will be a tough hurdle to overcome as usual, we will obviously be expecting a physical match but nonetheless we are looking forward to the game.”

Meanwhile, the team had a scrimmage session against Kenya and Papua New Guinea yesterday

Fiji take on Samoa in the first pool match at 11.36am, Wales at 2.42pm and France at 8.29pm.

Edited by Osea Bola

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