Mataiasi Stark 
Fiji Men’s 7s coach Osea Kolinisau during one of the training sessions [right] [Source: Fiji Rugby/Facebook]
Fiji Men’s 7s coach Osea Kolinisau has shut down claims that fatigue played a role in the team’s underwhelming performance in Perth.
Despite playing in the Coral Coast 7s just a week earlier, Kolinisau insists that fitness was not an issue—rather, a lack of communication and complacency cost them dearly.
He believes the team had the ability to win but failed to execute under pressure.
“No, not fatigue. Looking at our analysis and our GPS report, our running metres and our intensity were very much high. I think it comes down to individual people and the effort we wanted to produce on the day. We had the team to take out the sevens, but we were just too casual, overconfident.”
One of the biggest concerns, he says, was the team’s silence on the field, particularly against South Africa.
Unlike top teams such as New Zealand, who maintain constant communication, Fiji’s lack of vocal leadership made it difficult to adapt and respond to challenges.
The team has since refocused, with training sessions now emphasizing vocal leadership, game awareness, and structured play under fatigue.
With Vancouver kicking off on the 21st of this month, Kolinisau is confident his squad will make the necessary adjustments to bounce back stronger.
