Taina Basiyalo 
Fiji Airways Men’s 7s coach Osea Kolinisau
Fiji Airways Men’s 7s coach Osea Kolinisau says every match at this weekend’s HSBC SVNS opener in Dubai must be treated like a quarterfinal as the defending champions push for another strong start to the series.
Kolinisau says the team is shutting out all talk of pressure and focusing purely on execution.
“This format is a straight quarterfinal, every game you play is a quarterfinal. The boys know we can’t slip up once. We have to be on our A game.”
He says Fiji is not dwelling on last year’s success, but on delivering the Fijian rugby they have been sharpening over the past few weeks.
“We’re not thinking about the pressure of going back to back. We want to take this tournament again, but we need to play our cards right, execute what we’ve been training and get a good start.”
Fiji faces a tough pool with Argentina, South Africa and France, but Kolinisau says this level of competition is now standard in the series.
“There’s no running away from tough pools anymore. There’s no easy game. You’ve got to be good in every aspect, kickoff, attack, defence, set piece. Everything matters.”
He says Fiji has worked hard to maximise every possession and to tighten their defensive connections.
“When we defend, we must connect as a team and fight for each other. If we take care of what we’ve been practicing, then half the job is done.”
Kolinisau remains confident his squad is ready to fire in Dubai as they begin their title defence.
Fiji meets Argentina in their first match at 9.20pm this Saturday.
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