No room for slip-ups in Perth, say ex-7s stars

The Fiji Airways Fiji men’s rugby sevens team must lift their performance in this weekend’s Perth 7s tournament in Australia.

This is despite winning last weekend’s Singapore 7s.

This was view of former Fiji men’s 7s utility player Suliano Volivoli and 7s star winger Alasio Naduva.

Speaking to SUNsports, during yesterday’s Fiji Bitter Savusavu 7s tournament, Volivoli warned that the Osea Kolinisau-coached side must avoid any slip-ups in performance if they are to record back-to-back wins.

Volivoli who played in last season’s Dubai, Cape Town and Perth tournaments of the HSBC SVNS said the series continues to be unpredictable and is very competitive.

The Fijians are pooled with Argentina, South Africa and Spain.

He said Fiji should treat Argentina seriously and must play their best game right from the start.

“We normally start slow and this comes back to hurt us, so we cannot afford to lose against Argentina,” he said.

Volivoli said they must get their restarts right and always maintain possession.

He said if they value the ball and continue to build on a solid ball retention game, they are on track for another tournament win.

Volivoli was impressed with debutant Nacani Boginisoko’s running game along with his strong carries.

“He can become a world-renowned forward and make his mark in the series.”

Volivoli said it would take time for other teams to understand Boginisoko’s game pattern.

“He is a trump card for Fiji, and I think in crunch games, he will be the game breaker,” he said.

Boginisoko stole the show when he scored the winning try against South Africa in the pool match of the Singapore 7s.

He again proved his worth when he made a break and contributed to the decisive winning try against France in the Cup final.

Army Green speedster Naduva believes the Fiji side must utilise their speed effectively.

Naduva told SUNsports that the national 7s side needs to grow their game around their speed to open up gaps in the opposition defence.

He added every team in the series now could win any tournament and it is consistency that differentiate the best from the rest of the teams.

“This is what Fiji should aim for,” he added.