One of the elements that affected the extra three and a half minutes our Fiji 7s team played against Ireland in the Olympic Games quarterfinal in Paris yesterday was having survived those intense training sessions at the Sigatoka sand dunes this year.
Despite giving up four penalties following the fulltime siren, Coach Osea Kolinisau said that Fiji remained united as a unit.
At halftime, with a 10-7 deficit, Kolinisau told the players they would determine their own destiny in this Olympics.
The captain of the Rio 2016 winning team stated that there were still two minutes remaining when Waisea Nacuqu scored to put Fiji up 19–15. He then yelled at the team to play strong defence from the sidelines.
Kolinisau claims that Captain Jerry Tuwai summed up the team’s post-match discussion by only bringing up the times when they had to endure excruciating discomfort at the Sigatoka sand dunes.
Jerry summed it up nicely when we had our team talk, saying that was the sand dunes when we really tired we just climb through. “I thank the boys that came in; they stuck at it, even though Ireland got a couple of penalties. I think some of it should have gone our way, but I thank the boys for not giving up and showing how mental tough they are to connect as a group in those dying stages.”
Tomorrow at 2am, Fiji and Australia will square off in the second semifinal.
At 1:30 am, South Africa takes against the hosts, France, in the first semifinal.
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