Dubai: Fiji legend Waisale Serevi is backing the current Sevens World Series leaders to retain their Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens title this weekend, despite problems off the pitch.
The Pacific Islanders are in a financial rut and are hemorrhaging talent to more lucrative overseas club contracts as a consequence.
But Serevi backs Fiji coach Ben Ryan to continue his winning run from the Gold Coast opener in October, as the Fijians go in search of debut Olympic qualification this season with an overall top-four series finish.
“When the players are on the field they forget all about their problems, they just want to represent their country with pride,” said Serevi, 46, who is fourth in rugby seven’s all-time highest point scorers list with 1,310 points.
“They won the Gold Coast and now they need to win Dubai this weekend so that they can wave their hands in contention for the Olympics in 2016. Don’t doubt it, Fiji will qualify top-four and I won’t be surprised if they win the series this year because of the players we have.”
Serevi said that despite the loss of key players like 2014 Sevens Player of the Year Samisoni Viriviri, who has joined French Top-14 side Montpellier, Fiji still have the strength in depth to contend.
“Ben Ryan is lucky because he’s the only coach in the world that has so much depth to choose from,” he added. “It’s only difficult to keep changing sides each tournament and start training again from zero.”
However, Serevi did acknowledge that the Fijian government and rugby union needed to increase funding to stop players from moving abroad, especially with 2016 Olympic qualification looming.
“The government should put more money into rugby and look for more sponsors, because it’s promoting the country and I believe they should take it more seriously, because at the end of the day there is an Olympic medal at stake.
“It’s no longer an amateur game. It’s a professional sport and these players need to be looked after.”
Fiji kick-off their Dubai rugby sevens title defence against Pool A opponents France at 09:44 on Friday before playing Brazil at 12:44 and Argentina from 16:52.
Serevi believes the key threats to Fiji’s title defence will come from Gold Coast runners-up Samoa and record 12-time series and five-time Dubai champions New Zealand.
“New Zealand will be trying to win again after a disappointing Gold Coast where they lost to England in the quarter-finals,” he said. “And nobody thought that Samoa would go so far at the Gold Coast. In the last nine minutes of the final they outscored Fiji, so that shows anything can happen in sevens. Fiji are favourites but there are no small or big teams; you cannot predict who will win the tournament.”
