Savou - takes another swing 25 January, 2011 Feeling

Assistant coach, Jo Savou.

battered and bruised like an aging boxer Josateki Savou relinquished the reins of coaching the Digicel Fiji 7s team in 2008 after one too many literary knocks from a harsh rugby public who convicted and condemned him after only one season as national coach. 

Some of the taunts and comments he faced after replacing Waisale Serevi as coach were almost intolerable as the tide of public opinion crashed around him like a violent tsunami. 

But just like a good prizefighter (and in the words of legendary heavy metal band ACDC) Savou ‘is back in the ring to take another swing’, as he returns this time as assistant coach to Iliesa Tanivula for the Wellington 7s. 

“There was a lot of pressure on me when I took over from Serevi in 2008, especially from the public and the media and I couldn’t concentrate with everyone publically judging my every move,” Savou said. 

However after guiding Wardens to the Compac Sigatoka 7s title on January 15 and to the semi-finals of the Uprising 7s last weekend where his team, in both tournaments, disposed of shadow national side Digicel Barbarians, Savou believes he is now a better coach. 

“I think now I’m a lot more confident and mature enough and I’m looking forward to assisting national coach Iliesa Tanivula and the Digicel Fiji 7s team.” 

In selecting Jo Savou as assistant coach the Fiji Rugby Union’s high performance unit manager, Talemo Waqa, believes Savou will work well with national coach Tanivula. 

“Wardens have been performing exceptionally well in the Fiji TV provincial series and Savou has developed a winning structure in the tackle-ruck situation, an area where we’ve often found challenging,” Waqa said. 

“Savou understands the IRB circuit well and its demands and pressures and should be a more than able assistant to Tanivula,” 

Savou’s appointment as assistant coach is effective immediately and he is expected to travel with the Digicel Fiji 7s team to Wellington on 31 January.