- Source: Fiji national rugby sevens team
The Fiji national rugby sevens team has competed in the World Rugby Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Olympics. Fiji won the gold medal in the inaugural rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics in 2016 in Brazil, the country's first Olympic medal in any event, and repeated as Olympic champions in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, defeating New Zealand. Fiji would fall short from winning gold for a third straight time in 2024 after a defeat in the final to hosts France. Overall, Fiji are the only national rugby sevens team in the world to have won the Sevens Treble (the Olympics, Sevens Series, and World Cup), the three major achievements in Sevens. They have won multiple World Rugby Sevens Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Fiji Sevens is watched and enjoyed by fans around the world for its style of play — the "Flying Fijians" play with Fijian flair. Their passing and offloads can be unorthodox for traditional rugby coaching, and more similar to basketball style.
History
The International Rugby Board (IRB) expanded the sevens rugby competition to become a series of 11 tournaments around the world. The debt the FRU incurred from the 2000 sevens series was significant. At the end of December 2000, the FRU was burdened with accumulated losses of F$933,306. Fiji appealed to the IRB for funding, arguing that the sevens tournament was built around Fiji and they would not be able to participate without such funding. From that appeal flowed participation funds that enabled the islands teams to play in the World Sevens Series fully funded. By the end of November 2001, the FRU was sitting on a surplus of F$560,311 compared with the previous year's net loss of F$675,609.
The FRU again ran out of money in 2013 to support the national sevens team. The IRB had temporarily suspended funding due to concerns with FRU financial management and governance. The head coach went unpaid for months, another staff was terminated, and the team lacked funds for basic supplies such as rugby balls and bottled water.
Waisale Serevi is highly regarded as the best player ever in sevens rugby. Nicknamed the "maestro", played in this side from 1989 to 2006 leading them to countless tournament victories, two Sevens World Cups in 1997 and 2005.
World Rugby Sevens Series
Fiji has won the World Rugby Sevens Series four times — first in 2005–06, and most recently in 2018–19. Fiji is one of only two teams — along with New Zealand — to finish in the top four of the World Series every season since its inception.
Quadrennial tournaments
= Summer Olympics
== Rugby World Cup Sevens
== Commonwealth Games
=Tournament Victories
World Sevens Series Winners (2005–06, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19)
Summer Olympics Gold (2016, 2020)
Rugby World Cup Sevens Champions (1997, 2005,2022)
Commonwealth Games: Silver (1998, 2002, 2018,2022); Bronze (2006)
Hong Kong Sevens Winners (1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
World Games Gold (2001, 2005, 2009)
Pacific Games Gold (1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2019)
Darwin Hottest Sevens Winner (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
Oceania Sevens Winners (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021)
Gala Sevens Winner (1991)
Australia Sevens Winners (2000, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2020)
USA Sevens Winners (2007, 2015, 2016)
Singapore Sevens Winners (2006, 2018)
Scotland Sevens Winners (2009, 2015)
Mar de Plata Winners (2000, 2002)
New Zealand Sevens Winners (2000, 2006, 2010, 2018, 2019)
South Africa Sevens Winners (1999, 2002, 2005, 2018)
London Sevens Winners (2006, 2012, 2018, 2019)
Dubai Sevens Winners (2013, 2015)
Japan Sevens Winners (1995–97, 2000, 2014)
Players
= Current squad
=The following players have been selected to represent Fiji during the 2023–24 SVNS tournament beginning in December 2023.
Note: Caps reflect the total number of SVNS events competed in as of the 2023 Dubai Sevens.
Records and statistics
= Olympic squads
== Player records
=The following section lists player records from the World Rugby Sevens Series. Players in bold are still active.
= Award winners
=The following Fiji Sevens players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2004:
= Former players
=In addition to the players listed above, other notable players include:
Head coaches
See also
Fiji Rugby Union
Fiji national rugby union team
Bibliography
McLaren, Bill A Visit to Hong Kong in Starmer-Smith, Nigel & Robertson, Ian (eds) The Whitbread Rugby World '90 (Lennard Books, 1989)
References
External links
Official website
WorldRugby profile
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Kameli Soejima
- Kanada pada Olimpiade Musim Panas 2024
- Fiji national rugby sevens team
- Fiji national rugby union team
- Fiji women's national rugby sevens team
- Fiji national rugby league team
- New Zealand national rugby sevens team
- South Africa national rugby sevens team
- Fiji Rugby Union
- Rugby union in Fiji
- Georgia national rugby union team
- France national rugby sevens team
