Fijian fans and the big freeze all in a day’s work for Men’s 7s.

The Fiji Airways Men’s 7s following in Utah is gathering momentum as word spreads that the stars of the HSBC World Sevens Series are in town.

With almost 35,000 Fijians living in the United States and 75% in California, the Fijian team know they will be well supported when they hit San Francisco.

At a Thanksgiving dinner in the team’s base of Park City, almost 200 loyal and passionate Fijians gathered to extend their support and meet their heroes.

Despite the growing attention, Head Coach Baber is pleased with his training base in Utah as the players have the space to maintain focus and keep their heads on the task at hand.

“We’ve got a really great training environment here” he said.

“It’s quiet and not as populated; we’ve got quality recovery and training facilities”

“The field is right next to our accommodation and the gym and indoor facility are really close by and it’s giving us the ability to focus.”

Although for a squad of tropical island boys some of the recovery practices might not have been that well received.

The boys were treated to some Cryotherapy for recovery after training on Monday, an innovative recovery process where they stand in a cubicle and are blasted with minus 120°C cold air.

Cryotherapy improves muscle and joint function, increases blood flow and fast-tracks injury recovery, a further bonus to the squad being based in the US for this preparation phase.

“Being in camp here is giving us the ability to really focus” said Baber.

“We’ve had several meetings on our ‘school work’ and Lotu, reflecting on our progress and moving forward to what we are chasing.”

The Fiji Airways Men’s 7s preparations continue with Gareth Baber looking to name his final 12 this Sunday before the team departs for San Fransisco.