Fijians aim high at Vailima Marist Sevens

By Thomas Airey 13 February 2020, 11:00PM

A team from Fiji called Achieve Your Impossible (AYI) are heavy favourites to win the Vailima International Sevens Tournament, and become the second Fijian team in a row to come over the Samoa and do so.

The Tabadamu club took the Tupua Fred Wetzell trophy back to Fiji with them in 2019.

But Achieve Your Impossible, coached by former star Isake Kotonibau, have recruited four players from that successful campaign.

Manu Lagai, Jone Vota, Joseva Talacolo and Glen Cakautini all picked up winners medals last year, and Cakautini tasted more success on the ACP Marist Stadium in July playing for Fiji's Pacific Games-winning squad.

AYI's Rusiate Matai was also a Pacific Games medallist, and another of the 10 national representatives in a playing squad of 12 that boast 549 World Rugby Sevens Series caps between them.

They can also count a pair of Olympic gold medals on their collective resume - Kitione Taliga and Samisoni Viriviri were both in coach Ben Ryan's Fiji squad that won the men's sevens at Rio 2016.

Viriviri, who plays for the Police club in Fiji alongside AYI teammates Taliga, Matai and Keponi Paul, is a genuine superstar of the sport, having been named World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year back in 2014.

Flying Fijians veteran Pio Tuwai is returning to Marist having played for SCOPA at last year's tournament.

Here is the full squad, listed by number of World Rugby Sevens Series appearances:

Samisoni Viriviri
Pio Tuwai
Emosi Mulevoro
Kitione Taliga
Glen Cakautini
Manu Lagai
Jone Vota
Keponi Paul
Rusiate Matai
Joseva Talacolo
Isake Komailevuka
Kelepi Komailevuka

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Rugby union
By Thomas Airey 13 February 2020, 11:00PM

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