Kolinisau Stresses Defence and Discipline as Fiji 7s Target Singapore Title Defence

With the Singapore 7s kicking off this weekend, Fiji Airways Fijian 7s Head Coach Osea Kolinisau has pinpointed defensive accuracy and breakdown discipline as the non-negotiable focus areas for his squad as they prepare to defend their title.

Speaking to media via Zoom from the team’s camp, Kolinisau was clear about the lessons learned from the previous tournament leg.

“We just want to make sure that our defence is something we want to work on, especially from our last tournament,” he stated. “We missed a lot of tackles in the last leg and this is something we worked on making sure that our one-on-one is good and the boys complete our tackle.”

Beyond tackle completion, Kolinisau emphasized the critical need for smart, disciplined play at the contact area. “Especially our discipline, something you need to get disciplined on the breakdown, getting the right decision,” he explained.

He highlighted a specific refereeing focus that the team has drilled into: “One of the key focus areas the refs are going on is making sure that boys are having a clear release before they go for the ball. That’s something you want to get the boys disciplined on.”

The aim, he said, is to control the pace and flow of the game from the outset. “Being in charge of the breakdown and especially get our attack going as well. Something you want to make sure that we get the flow, the rhythm and play the game to our tempo in our first game.”

Acknowledging the challenge of the tournament’s competitive format and the target on their backs as defending champions, Kolinisau adopted a steadfast, game-by-game approach. “Yeah, it’s a tough format. You know, you play any eight top teams in the pool and we take one game at a time,” he shared.

“We know what we’re here for. We know what’s at stake and we know how important this tournament is, especially for us, for the rest of the series. So, yeah, it’s going to be tough, but we’re going to give it our all.”

In a direct message to the players and the legion of Fijian fans worldwide, the coach ended with a rallying cry of commitment: “We’re going to give it our all for the weekend.”

The Fiji Airways Fijian 7s team will now look to translate this focused preparation into dominant performances on the pitch, starting with their opening pool match in Singapore.