Former national rep and 7s coach, Timoci Wainiqolo will be guiding the team from his village in Sawani, Bua to the 45th Fiji Bitter Marist 7s which starts tomorrow.

The Bua K9 Brothers first participated in the Marist 7s in 2018 as Sawani Brothers.

And the man notably famous for scoring the winning try in the 1991 Hong Kong Sevens Cup final shared his take on how the game has changed.

Wainiqolo indicated exposure was crucial for rural teams such as Bua K9 Brothers.

And it was only possible for the farmers to participate in the 45th tournament through the sponsorship of Anil Singh, a former Sawani resident who is now based at the United States of America.

“I have retired from coaching but since they asked me to guide them, I did not hesitate,” he said.

“I stressed a few things like your defence and attack should be of the same strength.

“It won’t be easy but they are determined to come and have a feel of sevens rugby here in Suva compared to what it is back in the village.”

Looking back, Wainiqolo indicated that so much has changed and developed over the years compared to the 90s.

“Many people are training to play, whereas the most important is to train to get fit. They should train to be fit then play,” he said.

“The game has changed and developed in many ways.

“Before we have three training sessions per day and now it’s just two for our national side.

“We had no gym back then.

“The style of games now is different and we can’t say much about it.

“The rover breaks the line of defence then the wing runs freely but the games now are like a wiper, just going from side to side and there are not enough attempts to break the line of defence.

“Players should be focused during the games. Rugby is not easy, there is death, stroke, injuries and individuals should prepare well.

“The main thing is that players should trust in the Lord only.”

He added: “Discipline is something that should be enforced with players not only on the field of play but off the field as well.”

Team captain Sailosi Tuiwasa said: “We’ve been preparing for the past month.

“The two cyclones hindered our preparations but we managed to get here. We would like to thank our sponsor, Anil Singh.

“We look forward to the annual event and I’m pleading to all Sawani natives in Suva to come down to the ANZ Stadium to support us.”

The Bua K9 Brothers also participated at the Uluinakau 7s last year.

Bua K9 Brothers are in Pool H with Army Red, D Block RC USA and Fire Rugby.

Feedback:  sereana.salalo@fijisun.com.fj