He said: “I am so proud to have the honour to coach these incredible guys to a once-in-a-lifetime achievement”.
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“Not only Fijian players are getting opportunity to travel overseas but they can also get an opportunity to play Tier 1 nations in their own island and that’s what we have been working on”.
Bainimarama said “a wonderful reception awaits our boys when they arrive back in Fiji”.
Fiji’s team produced a breathtaking performance, prompting Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama to declare a public holiday next week to celebrate.
Tietjens is by far the most successful coach in worldwide sevens history and is well aware of the unpredictability of a sport in which any top tier team can beat another on a given day. By half-time the score was 29-0 – and we are talking only 14-minute matches here.
Meanwhile, on the field in Rio, Fiji’s rugby players were moved by their win. “It’s a bit deflating but in about an hour’s time I think we’ll realise we’ve got a silver medal and we’ll be quite proud of ourselves”.
The most obvious case was Ardie Savea pulling out of the New Zealand sevens squad due to his desire to play for the Hurricanes and then excelling for the All Blacks against Wales in June before helping the Hurricanes to a maiden championship.
Reflecting on his departure from the Rugby Football Union in 2013, Ryan added: ” There is no animosity involved. “Never have we stood so tall as a nation”.
TIME Magazine cited Fiji as ” the best story of the Rio Olympics” and this spotlight was magnified when Fiji broke global search trends on Google yesterday by being searched for the most.
Fiji’s success did not surprise Ryan’s beaten GB counterpart Simon Amor, who said: “That’s not the first time we have been on the wrong side of a result like that against Fiji”. They played some staggeringly good stuff.
Facing Britain in the final of the inaugural tournament, the Fijians ran rampant with five tries in the first half before taking their collective foot off the gas a little and adding only two more after the break to seal a 43-7 victory. Gold was theirs and the bench couldn’t hold back their emotion. “I am very happy for their whole group”. James Rodwell I coached for England counties.
First, though, is a trip to cheer on Team GB in the athletics. “We had nine players for that game”.
Britain’s normally watertight defence leaked holes everywhere, and Fiji nearly added a third try in five minutes, but Leone Nakarawa was hauled down just short of the line.
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After this? No chance.
