Digicel Fiji 7s coach Waisele Serevi says if we want to be the first to successfully defend the Melrose Cup then we must pick a team that is better than the team that won in 2005.

Serevi made the comment following the Rugby World Cup 7s 2009 pool allocation announcement by the International Rugby Board at the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai Monday night.

The Digicel Fiji 7s team leads Pool B and will face France,USA and Georgia .

“There is no easy pool,” Serevi said. “Don’t be fooled by the fact that we have been pooled with ‘small teams’. If it was three years ago we can say it is an easy pool but, judging from the progress teams have done since Hong Kong four years ago and recently at the 2008-09 IRB 7s Series opening leg in Dubai and George, there no such thing as an easy pool or a small team for that matter with every team capable of beating each other.”

 “If we must win then we need to pick a team that is much better and much stronger than the team that won back in 2005 in Hong Kong.”
 The onus, he said, is now on us to determine where we stand and the amount of work we will need to put in to select the best team.

“Now that we know where we stand with regard to the pool, the challenge is now on us to do the hard yards and map out a clearer pathway to select a winning combination.”

 Serevi has also called on players who would want to be part of the ‘winning team’ to go the extra mile and step up their game.

 “I know a lot of the players have shown their interest to be part of the team. We have the overseas based players and the local based eager to make the trip.  The door remains open for everyone but we will only select the best to go. We have a selection criteria drawn up that everyone must meet before they can make the team.”

Past reputations, Serevi said, will count for little when it comes to selections.
 
Dubai Rugby World Cup 7s 2009 Pool
Pool A
New Zealand, Tonga, Arabian Gulf, Italy
Pool B
Fiji, France, USA, Georgia
Pool C
South Africa, Scotland, Canada, Japan
Pool D
Samoa, Australia, Portugal, Ireland
Pool E
England, Kenya, Tunisia, Hong Kong
Pool F
Argentina, Wales, Zimbabwe, Uruguay

==ENDS