Exclusive France-based Sireli Maqala is out of the Fiji Air­ways Fijian 7s team for this weekend’s Rugby World Cup Sev­ens in Cape Town, South Africa.

This was confirmed to SUNsports yesterday by Fiji Rugby Union act­ing chief executive officer Sale So­rovaki.

“Yes, Maqala is out as it was too late for him to join the team,” Soro­vaki said.

Maqala played for his club Bay­onne is the Top 14 opener last Sat­urday. They went down 40-25 to Toulon.

Sororovaki said head coach Ben Gollings and the team management are sorting out Maqala’s replace­ment.

Meanwhile, Fiji has put the disap­pointment of the Commonwealth Games and World Sevens Series be­hind them.

Gollings told Netwerk24 that they are hungry for gold at this week­end’s Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, South Africa.

Commonwealth Games gold medal final by the Blitzboks and then lost to New Zealand in the Los Angeles Sevens final, finishing third overall in the series.

The Olympic champions have won the World Cup Sevens title (Melrose Cup) in 1997 and 2005. The players have been urged to break a 17-year drought.

Speaking to Netwerk24, Gollings said that his team is even more fired up to lift the trophy in Cape Town.

“It went well in Los Angeles, by the nature of the matter it was disappointing to lose in the final,” Gollings said.

“But what is really good is that we are constantly improving in tournaments. The World Cup is the tournament we have in our sights, our preparation in the last week went well.

“In the final of the Commonwealth Games, South Africa made good use of our weaknesses. We didn’t adapt very well.

“We also didn’t take care of our ball possession well enough and couldn’t get any momentum at all.

“The World Cup is a big one for us. We’ve won the Olympics twice and that’s something special,” Gollings added.

“But the World Cup Sevens is the one we want to win again, we won it twice before (in 1997 and 2005). It’s been a long time since we last wore the crown.”

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