The adage that Rome was not built in a day was the gist of Fiji Rugby Union chairman, Commodore Humphrey Tawake’s message in yesterday’s press conference in Suva.

It was the official press conference to welcome newly-appointed Fiji Airways Fijian men’s rugby sevens head coach Ben Gollings.

“I request the Fijian public to please bear with us, this is a new team under a new leadership,” Tawake said.

Gollings takes over from Gareth Baber who coached the men’s side to win the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“We will take one step at a time. There are processes to be followed.

“With his (Gollings) wealth of experience along with the coaching staff, we will reap the results in due course.”

Tawake thanked Gollings for his commitment during this difficult time as the country is struck by the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re honoured that Ben Gollings has joined us as our newly appointed sevens coach.

“Today is another milestone for Fiji Rugby especially with our sevens team preparing for the 2022 season and the commitments that are there for them.”

Moving ahead, Tawake said, they are also looking forward to see Gollings share his wealth of knowledge with the team.

Fijian women’s sevens head coach, Saiasi Fuli, had stepped up to be the interim men’s head coach when Baber resigned to join Edinburgh Rugby.

Meanwhile, the Fijian sevens teams are expected to leave for Spain in the weekend.

The next round of the HSBC World Sevens Series is on January 21-23 in Malaga.

Then, the second round is from January 28-30 in Seville.

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