JUST IN: Fiji relishing ‘tough pool’ as they aim for third gold medal in a row.

Coach Osea Kolinisau of the Fiji sevens national team is utilizing double Olympic gold medallist Jerry Tuwai’s background to help his players mentally prepare for the difficult task of attempting to achieve a hat-trick of gold in France.

According to Kolinisau, who won a gold medal in the Rio Games’ first-ever sevens tournament, Tuwai and seasoned player Waisea Nacuqu are enormously assisting the team’s younger players as they prepare to face hosts France, the United States, and Uruguay in Pool C in Paris.

Kolinisaui is under tremendous pressure to emulate Fiji’s feat of winning two gold medals in the sevens competition at the Olympic Games in Rio and Tokyo.

“We’ve been picking at their brains over the past few weeks, and we also got them to share some of the secrets of the game with the other players to help with the development of the team,” the head coach said to the local media during one of the last practise sessions before the squad is announced.

“We’re attempting to get them to divulge the necessary skills to function at that caliber. We’re not taking any team lightly; we know that Uruguay cannot be undervalued, that the USA is formidable, and that France will be well-prepared. We are in a challenging pool, which is advantageous in my opinion since it allows us to make adjustments and assess our performance before the competition begins.

“It brings back memories of Rio just to see France, our hosts, in our pool. In one of our pool matches, we played the hosts, Brazil, and they were even more formidable than we had anticipated. Therefore, we anticipate the same thing when we play France, who will surely give it their best, and we need to be ready for it.

The way his team performed in the HSBC SVNS Madrid finale, where they took third place, gave Kolinisau a lot of hope. “They’ve made significant progress, particularly in their fitness, and they’re now demonstrating the advantages of the system we put them through,” he said.

“I’ve watched the players play as a team, which is what we want to accomplish instead of individuality.”

The team has been getting ready to capture a third gold medal thanks to the assistance of Gareth Baber, the consultant national programme manager 7s and former gold medal-winning coach from the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“You win tournaments through defense, and that’s something we want to get back,” Kolinisau continued. Players play to a high standard and are aware of what is expected of them. After the Madrid SVNS, the young players in the squad have grown more self-assured and experienced; they have played together against formidable opponents.

“As Fijians, we place a high value on our lotu, or spirituality; we always put God first and strive to develop mentally tough players who embody our team culture.”