Despite the Order of Fiji award, members of the Serua province went one step further by awarding Ryan with three acres of land on the south of the Viti Levu island on the Pacific coast.
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Last week, the 43-year-old was awarded the Companion of the Order of Fiji, the highest honour in the country.
The conditioning and structure which Ryan implemented, compounded Fiji’s already unprecedented superior aesthetic attributes and subsequently served as the ideal tonic to the faults in the side, leading to Fiji winning two successive World Series titles and the aformentioned Olympic gold.
He was also given a “chiefly name” at a ceremony in Serua, one of the 14 provinces that make up Fiji.
“I love every part of Fiji but this part in particular, Serua”, he said at the ceremony. I will be back soon, it will always be a place in my heart and I would just like to say a big vinaka vakalevu (thank you). Our first gold medal in the Olympics and we are all very proud to be Fijians right now.
Ben Ryan enjoying the celebrations at the team’s welcome home.
His team took the competition by storm and blew Great Briton away in the final of the tournament, beating the British side 43-7 to claim Fiji’s first ever gold medal at the Games.
Ryan said before the Olympics that it would likely be his last tournament in charge of Fiji, with his contract due to expire next month.
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Ryan, who coached the England sevens up until 2013, says he will quit the Fijian side.
