Legendary All Blacks back row, Sir Michael Jones, has challenged the Fiji Airways Fiji­ans men’s 7s team to bounce back in the next leg of the HSBC World Sevens Series.

The Waisea Nacuqu-captained side lost to Australia 20-17 at the Hong Kong Sevens Cup final on Sunday.

Sir Michael, dubbed “The Iceman” during his playing days, spoke to the team at Nadi International Air­port yesterday. He was the first in­ternational rugby player not to play on Sunday because of his religious belief.

“We are very proud of the Fijian boys, and we’re very sad for them because we know that they were probably the best team there,” Sir Michael said.

“They just fell short at the last mo­ment. It’s a very young team with 10 new players. You know, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. For these guys, they’re on a journey.”

Sir Michael urged them to be faithful in the little things they do, and they would get the big things as they turn their focus to Dubai and South Africa in December.

“It’s a small thing; the difference between good and great is doing the little things well.”

So that’s all I shared with them. I encouraged them as they go to Dubai and South Africa.

“You know, bigger things are yet to come for them. So I think that peo­ple should be patient. The country should be patient. I know the expec­tations are always high. It doesn’t matter if it’s a whole new team.”

“We are right behind them. They are great ambassadors not just for Fiji but for the Pacific and for the region. So that’s why we really love them and are 100 per cent behind them.” Sir Michael is in the country on a business commitment.

Teba Injury
Rover Iowane Teba suffered a shoulder injury in the semi-final against Samoa but should recover in time for the next leg.

“If it was not for the injury I sustained it could be a different story in the final. We have Dubai next, and I hope to recover in time,” he said.

Rest Week
Head coach Ben Gollings said the team would rest this week and re­turn to camp next Tuesday.

“The side has two weeks to pre­pare for the next leg. There’ll be two big weeks. For the players, now is the time to get some recovery. They’ll do their training at home, sort out their home front and then we’ll meet back ready to rock and roll,” said Gollings.

“There are a few players who were coming back from injury, and we’ll look at them as well. The good thing is we’ve got a competitive squad and players want to get picked, so we’ll have a good look at some play­ers playing now and just see where that lies ahead.”

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