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UR7s News Editor Robin Heymann previews the Suva Rugby Festival, with the International Sevens section starting tomorrow.

Bula Sevens fans!

Scotland's Melrose may have been where our sport was conceived, but everyone knows its heartbeat reverberates around the stunning islands of Fiji.

Put simply, Fiji epitomises Rugby Sevens. Flamboyant, fast, and physical is how they like it here.

And tomorrow after 10 long years the island welcomes back international Sevens back as part of the eagerly anticipated inaugural Suva Rugby Festival.

It’s a mystery that in a country where the sport means more to the people than anywhere else in the world, they have been starved of watching their beloved national team and their international counterparts for this long.

Fiji isn’t exactly an easy location to get to, but why is that they send out various Sevens sides around the globe but don’t host anything themselves?

A long decade

Fiji’s fervent Sevens fans haven’t witnessed international action on their doorstep since the final leg the inaugural IRB Sevens World Series back in 2000. Unfortunately for the die-hard fans the exercise was a one-hit wonder.

Before that we had the 'Fiji's International 7s' which ran from 1990-2000 but was eventually forced to close due to political strife when two mutinies over the civilian coup d'état rocked the capital. With Fiji’s capital now stable again, it’s time to give the people what they want.

With the Suva Rugby Union celebrating its centenary in 2012 the Festival is the first of a number of rugby initiatives building to make the celebration a memorable one.

To make this a reality, some foresight has been needed with the Festival hoping to turbo boost some much needed sports tourism and highlight the city as a safe haven. Fundamentally some much needed revenue is required by the Suva Rugby Union (SRU) and this platform can hopefully bring that.

As well as the showpiece international extravaganza, there are separate Women’s Provincial/Clubs, Schools, Vets, 10s competitions on offer.

Vilikesa Rauca chairs the SRU and along with a small committee and hundreds of willing volunteers are the saviours that have bought the idea to fruition.

“It’s been hectic! This is our first time and we all have other jobs! Most of us have taken leave of work so we can complete our goals with the Digicel Suva Rugby Festival. And because it’s the first time, we’ve had to do everything from scratch. Next year will be a bit simpler,” says Rauca.

Ideal scheduling

Getting overseas sides on the case to make the pilgrimage to Sevens’ hotbed has obviously been one of the hardest tasks for Rauca and his team.

As I have stressed on more than one occasion on UR7s, timing is essential. With the third leg of the IRB Sevens World Series approaching in Wellington (5-6 Feb), it’s only a short jump over the South Pacific Ocean for the USA, Canada, Samoa, and the Fijians who will all be playing in Suva over the coming days.

Another marketing gem has been the Suva Sevens Series. A collection of local tournaments in Suva (November), Lautoka (December), and Labasa (January) have acted as precursor to proceedings here, with local sides given the opportunity to qualify to play in the international 7s section.

With eight top Fijian club sides playing, the standards are sky high with the luxury of an easy game or two out of the question.

“The main goal was to get the big teams that play on the IRB 7s circuit. We have Fiji, Samoa and USA, who are core teams, though they must play under different names. Some big names said they would love to join us in 2011 as they did not have enough time to prepare this time around. So we are very happy with the teams that have committed,” adds Rauca.

The SRU have splashed out to make sure that these sides get the very best Fijian hospitality. Flights and general costs and have been forked out for and a massive effort has been made to make the player experience a lavish and enjoyable one. Word of mouth is king in the tight confines of the Sevens community.

If coaches Caravelli (USA) and Williams (Canada) feel it’s been rewarding trip they can spread the word amongst the many others they will bump into at the hotel foyers in Wellington and Las Vegas. Who knows what sides might make it in future years?

Treated like Kings

It’s not just the Canadians, Samoans, and the States that will cause a stir with the locals, sides such as Manawatu and Australia’s Western Force can expect the star treatment too. The overseas teams probably don’t understand the regard the Fijian rugby fans will have with them with Rauca’s predicting the “throngs of fans will follow them everywhere they go!”

Sevens players are superstars in these parts and not shadowed by their 15-a-side contemporaries like elsewhere around the globe.

Another factor that has driven the creation of the international event is to give the Fijian rugby nuts an opportunity to see their national team in the flesh.

“The Digicel Fiji 7s team have won the World Cup twice and the IRB 7s Series once, though they never play at home. Fiji is the only team that regularly challenges for the titles that doesn’t host an IRB tournament. So this tournament gives the fans the chance to see their heroes take on all-comers,” explains Rauca.

Rather typically when it comes to the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU), a lack of communication almost prevented the national side taking the place with coach Iliesa Tanivula apparently farcically unaware of their participation before Christmas. Thankfully any embarrassing situation was dealt with and Suva can enjoy their demigods in what is sure to be a special atmosphere at the TFL National Stadium.

The IRB dream?

The organisers feel that in the long-term this can be one of the biggest and most enjoyable rugby festivals in the world. It’s already got the backing of sponsors such as Digicel, Fiji TV, and Air Pacific with a desire to see social and international teams descend upon Suva year on year. If funds can be raised, capital projects such as clubhouses, gymnasiums and a new ground can start to materialise.

Rauca, along with countless other cities around the globe, are counting down to 2011 when the contracts for the current IRB Sevens World Series legs expires.

“We hope Suva gets the recognition it deserves and has the chance to get back on the IRB 7s circuit if there is an expansion after 2011,” adds Rauca.

So they have hosted a leg before, why not again? Sevens is different entity to 2000. It’s now an Olympic sport, meaning tournaments must be taken to a new level to accommodate the world's best and see any kind of possibility of an IRB Sevens leg.

Time will tell and it’s going to be fascinating to see what new countries might get added to the World Series roster. But for now let’s just enjoy Fiji's resurgence and seeing elite level Sevens return to the promised land. Welcome back.