Japan 7’s Coach Declares Fiji as Ultimate Rugby Playground

“There is no better place to play rugby, than in Fiji.”

These were the words of Japan 7s Coach Simon Amor who brought the national side down to the country for warm up matches with our Fiji Airways Fijian 7s team over the weekend.

With eyes set on securing Olympic glory in Paris later this year, Amor said there was a crucial need for game time for his team.

“Our players need a lot of game time… we love to practice ahead of the Olympics against the Olympic champions,” Amor said.

Amor added, it was a great experience playing against Fiji in the past three days, huge learnings that will be instrumental in their preparations for the Olympic games.

“For Fiji, because the time zone is very good and the weather is fantastic – it is an ideal place for us,” he affirmed.

Fiji Airways Fijian 7s Coach, Osea Kolinisau, said this was a great opportunity to test out his squad, particularly focusing on younger players who didn’t feature in recent tours.

“I wanted to test out the young boys, I just want to give them an experience of playing an overseas side.”

“We are thankful for the Japan team for this opportunity as it has helped us fine-tune our preparations and assess the depth of their squad ahead of the Olympics,” Kolinisau said.

As the Japan 7s side prepares to depart this week, the Fiji Airways Fijian 7s team remains focused on their upcoming challenge at the Singapore 7s, scheduled from May 3-5.