Rugby: Revamped Fiji aim to deliver at Singapore Sevens this weekend

Fiji captain Tevita Daugunu pictured at the Toa Payoh dragon playground on April 6, 2022. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
The captains of the teams taking part in the HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens in Toa Payoh for local games and cuisine. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

SINGAPORE - He will be leading a new-look team out for the HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens at the weekend, but Fiji captain Tevita Daugunu told The Straits Times on Wednesday (April 6) that he and his teammates are aiming for nothing less than victory.

The Fiji squad here will feature only three of their gold-medal winning side from the Tokyo Olympics. They are also under a new head coach, Ben Gollings. The former England international, who holds the record in points scored on the World Rugby Sevens Series with 2,652, took over in December after Gareth Baber stepped down in October to explore opportunities in the 15s game.

Daugunu, however, said fans can expect the same flair and flavour from the revamped team in Gollings' first major assignment, after the Fijians missed the last two legs of the HSBC World Series in Spain in January due to a spate of Covid-19 cases.

"Our fans back home and around the world, they don't care if there's a new captain of this team or it's a new squad," said the 29-year-old, who was not among those at the Olympics. "All they want is a win. So we will make sure we will deliver."

Fiji won the Singapore Sevens in 2018 but failed to retain their title in 2019 - the last time the Singapore Sevens took place owing to the pandemic - after losing a dramatic final 20-19 to South Africa, having led 19-0 at half-time.

This Singapore edition will be the also see the return of giants New Zealand to the line-up for the first time since the pandemic and Ireland captain Billy Dardis said: "New Zealand and Fiji coming back into it adds a bit more of a challenge. But we are looking forward to it... (and) it should be a good, exciting weekend."

Dardis and Daugunu were among the team captains that took part in a photo shoot at the famed Housing Board dragon playground in Toa Payoh on Wednesday. The skippers also dabbled in local games like capteh and tried local treats like curry puffs, ondeh ondeh and teh tarik.

"The coconut on the outside (of the ondeh ondeh) reminded me of an Australian lamington (cake), but when I bit into it, the explosion of that caramel-like, brown sugar... it was awesome," gushed Australia's Nick Malouf.

Dardis added: "I feel like I got to taste the culture here."

Over 60 per cent of the weekend's 24,000 tickets have been sold. Tickets are available at this website.

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