Baber’s Key Trio For Tokyo

Former Fijian 7s speedster, Aminiasi Tuimaba, Vilimoni Botitu and Flying Fijians captain Semi Radradra might miss the Oceania Sevens tournament in Townsville but could join the team in Tokyo, Japan.
This is the likely scenario if getting the players over to Australia for the PacificAus Sports Oceania tournament on June 25-27 proves futile.
Speaking from Brisbane on Wednesday night, Baber said he had been monitoring the players’ performance in Europe.
“There have been a lot of changes since we started our preparations for the Olympics in 2020,” he said.
“The players that we are looking for and certainly there is a plan to bring the three players to us.
“I’m trying to bring Botitu and Tuimaba over as soon as possible.
“It is a huge undertaking with all the support everybody have given us,
“I’ve never done something this difficult as in relation of getting players over from overseas to quarantine in hotels, flights, visas so the whole thing has been a logistical challenge.
“And still at this point I can’t tell you if it’s going to happen.”
Baber said the two players were part of the group that won the World Sevens Series and they know how they work in the group.
“The third one could be Semi Radradra. I’ve been communicating with Semi and he is desperate to play in the Olympics.
“He is an exceptional talent and a good man as well because the influence he can have on other players around him is very well known across the group. He is a very powerful force.”
Baber said nothing has been confirmed as yet because Radradra’s club Bristol Bears are in the Premiership playoffs.
“He was going to be released earlier than that but things have changed in Europe as the season has got longer.
“Semi is one of those players that I know is a game breaker and one of the world’s best players so if you got one of those who knows the game of sevens like he does.
“If he is fit and healthy he has that ambition and drive to be part of an Olympic campaign so be it because that is what I want to look at,” Baber added.
“Those are the three players that I’m looking at and it’s still a challenge.
“Putting them in the group is tough but this is a tough environment we will have to lose some good players for ambition because our goal is to defend our gold medal.
“What I’m to do is put a team together that will do that,” Baber added.