Dranisinukula, Nasoko knows communication and trust is key ingredient in Fronline defence.

Fiji Airways 7s powerhouse duo Paula Dranisinukula and Kalione Nasoko believe that communication in the field and trusting the player next to you is the key ingredient to forming a frontline defence on the 7s field.

Dranisinukula is almost back to full training with the team following the fracture he sustained prior to Dubai, and the enigmatic leader is pleased to see the combinations and bond within his team is starting to produce a formidable defensive product.

“Defence is all about communication and trusting each other to do the job which I think the boys executed really well in Cape Town which resulted in winning the title.”

“We want to keep that going now as we work towards the next tournaments.”

Captain for the first two rounds of the series, Nasoko was reflective on the team’s start to the series applauding the team for adapting after the tough result in Dubai.

“In Dubai, it looked like we did not react well but we talked about it in Cape Town and we did well, we will continue with it to take us to the two series that are coming up.”

The Fiji Airways Fiji 7s faced an intense week on the training track covering up to 25kms in conditioning and match play and the two leaders were encouraged by the team’s commitment to preparing ahead of Hamilton and Sydney.
“The boys are coping well during training and we are getting where we need to be ahead of the next two rounds,” said Dranisinukula.

He added that this is an important week for the preparations towards the next two leg and the boys are on the right path following their training schedule.

With the return of both Dranisinukula and Kurunabili, the squad may see a shift in some of the key roles, particurlarly around the key playmaking positions.

“When we have change within the squad like we have recently, it can be a bit tough on the team. Some boys are specialised at a certain task like kick off and lineout. But what is pleasing is that there doesn’t seem to be a problem in the transitin, the boys coming have got skill and they only need to express it in international level,” he said.

Nasoko also added that the fresh injection of players are well aided by the experienced stalwarts providing a really competitive yet supportive environment.

“We have Jerry and Waisea and they’re very experienced and they help the young players a lot and also the return of Josua and Paula will surely boost us in the forwards and it will give us a good go in the two series ahead,” said Nasoko.