Vodafone Fiji 7s coach, Ben Ryan has made two last minute changes to his line-up for the Cape Town 7s tournament in South Africa, which kicks-off this evening.
Nippy half-back and Player of The Tournament in Dubai last weekend, Jerry Tuwai as well as Kitione Taliga have been left out of the 12-member squad.
Replacing the pair is veteran forward, Nemani Nagusa and uncapped playmaker, Alifereti Veitokani.
It’s believed Tuwai fell ill after the Cup final win in Dubai.
Tuwai was a standout performer for Fiji in the title-winning campaign in Dubai, scooping the Best Player award and was named in the Dubai 7s Dream Team alongside team mates, Vatemo Ravouvou and Pio Tuwai.
Meanwhile, New Zealand has made six changes after losing key players such as Scott Curry, Gilles Kaka and Tim Mikkelson.
Hosts South Africa has been forced to make two changes after losing star playmaker, Cecil Afrika and World Player of the Year, Werner Kok.
The Cape Town Sevens kicks off today with the Vodafone Fiji 7’s side taking on Scotland in its opening pool match at 9:59pm.
Fiji will then face Russia at 1:20am tomorrow and Argentina at 5:03am.
The Cup quarter-finals will begin at 11:04pm while the semi-finals start at 3:34am on Monday and the Cup final to kick-off at 6:30am.
You can watch the entire tournament live on FBC TV and catch live commentaries of Fiji’s matches on Radio Fiji One and BULA FM.
