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Nick Jordan, Suva

A mixture of Fijian and international sides took the honours as the inaugural Digicel Suva Sevens at the National Stadium came to a close.

Fiji Barbarians won the Cup thrashing Waimanu 45-0, a stark contrast to when the two played yesterday when the Village side shocked last year’s IRB Sevens runners-up.

An inspired Osea Kolinisau bagged an early brace and further tries from Jiuta Lutumailagai, Setefano Cakau, Seremaia Burotu, and William Ryder saw the Baa-Baas home.

Waimanu’s key playmaker Peni Rokodiva Jr hobbled off in the second period but it made little difference as Fiji dominated the second spell in front of their passionate fans who rarely get to watch their team in the flesh.

Fiji had earlier beaten the USA Cougars 33-5 in the semi-finals, with the Americans enjoying a 12-10 win over the Wardens in their quarter-final earlier in the day. In the earlier semi-final Waimanu dashed the home side's hopes, edging past Suva 22-19.

Plate, Bowl, & Shield

Ratu Filise, a village near Sigatoka on Viti Levu, continued their good form and proved too good for Canada in the Plate, winning 27-12. The Canadians had earlier been unlucky to lose their Cup quarter-finals 10-12 to Waimanu.

Manawatu from New Zealand edged Tonga 17-12 to win the Bowl and Samoa Barbarians, another of the shadow national sides using the tournament to prepare for the IRB Wellington Sevens, beat Army 28-7 in the Shield.

It proved small consolation for Samoa who struggled all weekend despite the likes of Uale Mai and Ofisa Treviranus in their side. They had a disappointing start to their day, losing 19-12 to Tonga in the Bowl quarter-finals relegating them to the Shield.

Fiji Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama presented the trophies, including one to Waimanu captain Jo Nakaira as player of the tournament.

Tanivula cotent

Fijian coach Ilisea Tanivula was satisfied with their weekend, despite the loss in pool play, with the side now setting their sights on the third leg of the IRB Sevens World Series in Wellington (5-6 Feb).

“It was good to get one back on Waimanu after yesterday and the boys showed a lot of mental strength. While it was disappointing to make mistakes it is something we can build on,” he said.

Tanivula intends to assess his squad tomorrow, along with those returning from the Hottest 7s in Darwin, before naming his squad for Wellington on Monday.

“We will concentrate on recovery tomorrow, and hopefully will get the naming of the team right after that.”

And Tanivula was impressed with some of the other talent on display.

“We have been watching a few of the teams and some of the players are for the future”.

Day Three also saw a march past led by the Police band, crowd entertainment, a spirited match between the Indo-Fijians and New Caledonia (won 15-12 by the Indo-Fijians) and the conclusion of the other competitions that made up the Festival, including club, women’s and schoolboy events.

Despite a few organisational glitches, the tournament was a resounding success and with a vocal crowd of close to 10,000 fans is sure to be a strong candidate for inclusion on the IRB Sevens circuit when current contracts expire in 2011. 

Day 3 Match Reports and Reaction

Day 2 Summary

Day 2 Match Reports and Reaction

Day 1 Summary

Day 1 Match Reports and Reaction