Taina Basiyalo 
[Photo: FILE]
Fiji Airways Fijiana 7s coach Richard Walker believes reconnecting with the team’s spiritual foundation through “team lotu” is helping drive both performance and unity within the squad.
Walker says the side has shown it can compete with the best teams on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, especially when their attacking style clicks.
He highlighted the team’s strength in their offloading game, communication and support play, which allows the Fijiana to quickly turn defence into attack.
Walker says training has also focused on creating quick attacking “sparks”, where players aim to win possession from kick-offs and score within seconds.
“When we get on a roll with our offload game, our support and communication, we can compete with the top teams in the World Series.”
He adds that consistency remains the key area the team is working on, and that is where the return of team lotu – the squad’s church and prayer sessions — has played an important role.
Walker says the players themselves have taken ownership of the sessions, choosing the Bible verses they want to reflect on and linking those messages to their performance on the field.
“We’ve put a lot of that back into our lotu and trying to bring our lotu out onto the field — what it means to go to lotu and what we talk about in our prayers and how that connects to what we’re doing in training.”
The coach says the initiative has been a significant part of their preparations both in Fiji and in camp, helping the players stay grounded while building belief as they prepare for their next World Series assignment.
Fijiana will meet Australia at 9:31am, while the Fiji men’s 7s side takes on France earlier at 7:19am tomorrow.
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