Advertisement
Fiji men’s rugby sevens team: biography, the Olympic gold medal, key players and Covid-19 bubbles
- Will the ‘Flying Fijians’ defend their 2016 Rio Games crown and earn the country’s second-ever Olympic medal?
- ‘Only the best will don the white jersey with coconut tree emblem’ said Fiji rugby chief as they await overseas star Radradra
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
If you ask a rugby sevens fan for the first word or image that pops into their mind when thinking about the sport, it will most likely surround the mystical Fiji men’s national team.
Advertisement
They are the reigning and only Olympic champions – rugby sevens was included for the first time at the Rio 2016 Games – and are the only Olympic medallists in the South Pacific country’s history. They are four-time World Rugby Sevens Series winners, two-time Rugby World Cup Sevens winners, and the only country to have won the “Sevens Treble”.
Fiji boast legends such as Waisale Serevi and Jerry Tuwai, undisputedly two of the greatest to ever grace the game, and have a knack for dominating the Hong Kong Sevens each year, having won 20 trophies between 1977 and 2019.
The “Flying Fijians” bring a unique playing style that teams can try to mimic but will never replicate. From unorthodox sidesteps to audacious passing, they never fail to take spectators’ breath away and almost always become the people’s team by the tournament’s end.
After more than 16 months without international competition, coach Gareth Baber’s side are simultaneously hungry to get back on the field, defend their title in Tokyo, and give their country something to cheer for.
Advertisement