The Vodafone Fijian 7s team need to take it up a notch if they want to progress further at the Sydney Sevens after thrashing France 31-7 in their last pool match at Allianz Stadium last night.

Fiji meet New Zealand in the Cup quarterfinal after they finished second in their pool winning their two matches against Samoa (40-0) and France (31-7) while losing to pool leaders Wales (28-15).

Coach Gareth Baber rates NZ as a threat and an obstacle and the players will need to work hard.

“Playing NZ will be difficult as it always is but this is something not new to the boys,” Baber said.

“They have been in this situation before and they know what to expect and what to do in order to progress to the next round.

“It was a tough day but the boys played well and know what mistakes they made and what they need to keep doing.

“Tough day two is expected but as long as the boys are focused and keep to what I’ve been telling them, everything should be fine.”

It was a bit of mixed feelings for Baber on the first day but reflecting on what they have learnt on day one is crucial to how they perform in the knockout stages.

“It is pleasing particularly against France because over the first few minutes we did not have the ball,” he said.

“We were good in defence and we didn’t get a couple of decisions with the referee but we didn’t lose our discipline.

“The day was mixed, one good performance and the worst was probably against Wales. The boys held their own in the last game, we needed a win and they made sure we got it.

“Of course there is a lot still to learn and we need to make sure we get everything right from the start.

“We got into one final last week in Wellington. I want us to get into another this week and possibly win but the boys need to take it a step up.”

Meanwhile, Emosi Mulevoro will miss the remainder of the tournament as he was injured against Wales. He is replaced by Samisoni Viriviri.

Cup quarterfinals fixtures

12:58pm England vs Argentina

1:20pm New Zealand vs Fiji

1:42pm USA vs South Africa

2:04pm Wales vs Australia

Challenger Trophy quarterfinals

11:30am Kenya vs Russia

11:52am Scotland vs Samoa

12:14pm Canada vs Japan

12:36am France vs PNG.

Edited by Osea Bola

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