# 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.
Sevens Series record :
| Year | Position | Rounds | Points | Most tries | Most points |
| 1999–00 | 2nd | 10 | 180 | Vilimoni Delasau (83) | |
| 2000–01 | 3rd | 9 | 124 | | |
| 2001–02 | 4th | 11 | 122 | | |
| 2002–03 | 3rd | 7 | 94 | | |
| 2003–04 | 4th | 8 | 84 | | |
| 2004–05 | 2nd | 7 | 88 | | |
| 2005–06 | 1st | 8 | 144 | | |
| 2006–07 | 2nd | 8 | 128 | | William Ryder (416) |
| 2007–08 | 4th | 8 | 98 | Emosi Vucago (25) | Neumi Nanuku (146) |
| 2008–09 | 2nd | 8 | 102 | Vereniki Goneva (24) | |
| 2009–10 | 4th | 8 | 108 | | William Ryder (166) |
| 2010–11 | 4th | 8 | 122 | Seremaia Burotu (29) | Emosi Vucago (195) |
| 2011–12 | 2nd | 9 | 161 | Joeli Lutumailagi (28) | Metuisela Talebula (271) |
| 2012–13 | 3rd | 9 | 121 | Samisoni Viriviri (29) | Joji Baleviani Raqamate (247) |
| 2013–14 | 3rd | 9 | 144 | Samisoni Viriviri (52) | Samisoni Viriviri (260) |
| 2014–15 | 1st | 9 | 164 | Savenaca Rawaca (42) | Osea Kolinisau (312) |
| 2015–16 | 1st | 10 | 181 | Savenaca Rawaca (35) | Vatemo Ravouvou (287) |
| 2016–17 | 3rd | 10 | 150 | | |
| 2017–18 | 2nd | 10 | 180 | Eroni Sau (37) | Amenoni Nasilasila (316) |
| 2018–19 | 1st | 10 | 186 | Aminiasi Tuimaba (46) | |
| 2019–20 | 3rd | 6 | 83 | Aminiasi Tuimaba (20) | Napolioni Bolaca (159) |
| 2021 | DNP | | | | |
| 2021–22 | 3rd | 9 | 122 | Viwa Naduvalo (28) | Waisea Nacuqu (230) |
| 2022–23 | 3rd | 11 | 156 | | Waisea Nacuqu (317) |
| 2023–24 | 3rd | | | | |
| Total | 4 Titles | 202 | 2959 | Nasoni Roko (125) | Waisale Serevi (1,310) |

## Quadrennial tournaments
### Summer Olympics

Olympic Games record :
| Year | Round | Pos | Pld | W | L | D | Most tries | Qualifying |
| 2016 | Final | 1st | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | J. Tuisova (5) | Finished first at the 2014–15 World Series |
| 2020 | Final | 1st | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Jiuta Wainiqolo (5) | Finished first at the 2018–19 World Series |
| 2024 | Final | 2nd | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | Joji Nasova (4) | Finished third at the 2022–23 World Series |
| Total | 2 Titles | 3/3 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0 | | |
Olympic Games History :
| 2016 | Pool stage | Fiji 40 – 12 Brazil | Win |
| 2016 | Pool stage | Fiji 21 – 14 Argentina | Win |
| 2016 | Pool stage | Fiji 24 – 19 United States | Win |
| 2016 | Quarterfinals | Fiji 12 – 7 New Zealand | Win |
| 2016 | Semifinals | Fiji 20 – 5 Japan | Win |
| 2016 | Final | Fiji 43 – 7 Great Britain | Win |
| 2020 | Pool stage | Fiji 24 – 19 Japan | Win |
| 2020 | Pool stage | Fiji 28 – 14 Canada | Win |
| 2020 | Pool stage | Fiji 33 – 7 Great Britain | Win |
| 2020 | Quarterfinals | Fiji 19 – 0 Australia | Win |
| 2020 | Semifinals | Fiji 26 – 14 Argentina | Win |
| 2020 | Final | Fiji 27 – 12 New Zealand | Win |
| 2024 | Pool stage | Fiji 40 – 12 Uruguay | Win |
| 2024 | Pool stage | Fiji 38 – 12 United States | Win |
| 2024 | Pool stage | Fiji 19 – 12 France | Win |
| 2024 | Quarterfinals | Fiji 19 – 15 Ireland | Win |
| 2024 | Semifinals | Fiji 31 – 7 Australia | Win |
| 2024 | Final | Fiji 7 – 28 France | Loss |

### Rugby World Cup Sevens

World Cup Sevens record :
| Year | Round | Position | Played | Won | Lost | Drew | Most tries | Most points |
| 1993 | Semi-finals | 3rd | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | | |
| 1997 | Finals | 1st | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | M. Vunibaka (12) | W. Serevi (117) |
| 2001 | Semi-finals | 3rd | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | | |
| 2005 | Finals | 1st | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | | |
| 2009 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | | |
| 2013 | Semi-finals | 3rd | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | | |
| 2018 | Semi-finals | 4th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | | |
| 2022 | Finals | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | | |
| Total | 3 Titles | 8/8 | 49 | 41 | 8 | 0 | M. Vunibaka (23) | W. Serevi (297) |

### Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games record :
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | L | D |
| 1998 | Finals | 2nd | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | Finals | 2nd | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 2006 | Semifinals | 3rd | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010 | Suspended | Suspended | Suspended | Suspended | Suspended | Suspended |
| 2014 | Ineligible | Ineligible | Ineligible | Ineligible | Ineligible | Ineligible |
| 2018 | Finals | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 0 Titles | 4/4 | 24 | 19 | 5 | 0 |
Commonwealth Games History :
| 1998 | Round 1 | Fiji 54 – 7 Wales | Win |
| 1998 | Round 1 | Fiji 71 – 0 Swaziland | Win |
| 1998 | Round 1 | Fiji 63 – 5 Malaysia | Win |
| 1998 | Round 1 | Fiji 71 – 0 Kenya | Win |
| 1998 | Quarter-finals | Fiji 26 – 19 Canada | Win |
| 1998 | Semi-finals | Fiji 28 – 14 Australia | Win |
| 1998 | Gold Medal Match | Fiji 12 – 21 New Zealand | Loss |
| 2002 | Pool stage | Fiji 75 – 0 Trinidad and Tobago | Win |
| 2002 | Pool stage | Fiji 73 – 0 Malaysia | Win |
| 2002 | Pool stage | Fiji 12 – 19 Australia | Loss |
| 2002 | Quarter-finals | Fiji 7 – 5 England | Win |
| 2002 | Semi-finals | Fiji 17 – 7 South Africa | Win |
| 2002 | Gold Medal Match | Fiji 15 – 33 New Zealand | Loss |
| 2006 | Pool stage | Fiji 31 – 14 Canada | Win |
| 2006 | Pool stage | Fiji 63 – 0 Niue | Win |
| 2006 | Pool stage | Fiji 33 – 7 Scotland | Win |
| 2006 | Quarter-finals | Fiji 26 – 7 Wales | Win |
| 2006 | Semi-finals | Fiji 14 – 21 England | Loss |
| 2006 | Bronze Medal Match | Fiji 24 – 17 Australia | Win |
| 2010 | Suspended | Suspended | Suspended |
| 2014 | Boycott | Boycott | Boycott |
| 2018 | Pool stage | Fiji 63 – 5 Sri Lanka | Win |
| 2018 | Pool stage | Fiji 54 – 0 Uganda | Win |
| 2018 | Pool stage | Fiji 21 – 17 Wales | Win |
| 2018 | Semi-Finals | Fiji 24 – 19 South Africa | Win |
| 2018 | Gold Medal Match | Fiji 0 – 14 New Zealand | Loss |
| 2022 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined |

## 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.
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| Jerry Matana | Forward | (1998-07-14) 14 July 1998 (age 26) | 14 | Unattached |
| Sevuloni Mocenacagi | Forward | (1990-06-29) 29 June 1990 (age 34) | 48 | Rouen |
| Kaminieli Rasaku | Forward | (1999-07-12) 12 July 1999 (age 25) | 10 | Bayonne |
| Filipe Sauturaga | Forward | (1994-06-19) 19 June 1994 (age 30) | 12 | Unattached |
| Joseva Talacolo (c) | Forward | (1997-04-01) 1 April 1997 (age 27) | 13 | Unattached |
| Ilikimi Vunaki | Forward | 2001 (age 23–24) | 1 | Unattached |
| Pilipo Bukayaro | Back | (1999-03-18) 18 March 1999 (age 25) | 15 | Unattached |
| Josese Batirerega | Back | (1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 (age 25) | 9 | Unattached |
| Rubeni Kabu | Back | 1997 (age 27–28) | 1 | Unattached |
| Netava Koroisau | Back | 1996 (age 28–29) | 1 | Unattached |
| Manueli Maisamoa | Back | (1995-08-09) 9 August 1995 (age 29) | 17 | Unattached |
| Vuiviawa Naduvalo | Back | (1996-05-25) 25 May 1996 (age 28) | 15 | Unattached |
| Kavekini Tabu | Back | (1994-06-21) 21 June 1994 (age 30) | 7 | Bressane |
| Terio Tamani | Back | (1994-07-06) 6 July 1994 (age 30) | 13 | Unattached |

## Records and statistics
### Player records

The following section lists player records from the World Rugby Sevens Series. Players in bold are still active.
Most tries :
| No. | Player | Tries |
| 1 | Jerry Tuwai | 140 |
| 2 | Waisea Nacuqu | 131 |
| 3 | Nasoni Rokobiau | 125 |
| 4 | Osea Kolinisau | 122 |
| 5 | Samisoni Viriviri | 120 |
Most points :
| No. | Player | Points |
| 1 | Waisale Serevi | 1,310 |
| 2 | Osea Kolinisau | 1,272 |
| 3 | William Ryder | 987 |
| 4 | Vatemo Ravouvou | 981 |
| 5 | Nasoni Roko | 857 |

### Award winners

The following Fiji Sevens players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2004:
World Rugby Men's 7s Player of the Year (2004–17) :
| Year | Nominees | Winners |
| 2005 | Neumi Nanuku | — |
| 2014 | Samisoni Viriviri | Samisoni Viriviri |
| 2015 | Semi Kunatani | — |
| 2016 | Osea Kolinisau | — |
| 2017 | Jerry Tuwai | — |
World Rugby Men's 7s Player of the Year (2017–23) :
| Year | Nominees | Winners |
| 2018 | Jerry Tuwai (2) |
| 2019 | Jerry Tuwai (3) | Jerry Tuwai |
| 2021 | Napolioni Bolaca | — |
| 2021 | Jiuta Wainiqolo | — |
| 2022 | Kaminieli Rasaku | — |
World Rugby Men's 7s Dream Team :
| Year | No. | Player |
| 2024 | 6. | Ponepati Loganimasi |

### Former players

In addition to the players listed above, other notable players include:
* Waisale Serevi
* William Ryder
* Jerry Tuwai
* Osea Kolinisau
* Semi Kunatani
* Rupeni Caucaunibuca
* Samisoni Viriviri
* Semi Radradra
* Levani Botia
* Manasa Bari
* Sireli Bobo
* Vilimoni Delasau
* Temesia Kaumaia
* Ifereimi Naruma
* Norman Ligairi
* Timoci Matanavou
* Lepani Nabuliwaqa
* Vereniki Goneva
* Setareki Tawake
* Aisea Tuilevu
* Seru Rabeni
* Kameli Ratuvou
* Ifereimi Rawaqa
* Viliame Satala
* Jope Tuikabe
* Mosese Volavola
* Apolosi Satala
* Semisi Naevo
* Watekini Vunisa

## Head coaches

| Coach | Tenure | Note |
| Gareth Baber | 2016–21 | Baber has won the most tournaments by a Fiji 7s coach and has coached the side to their 4th World Series Title in 2019. In addition, Baber also coached the Fiji 7s side to victory by bringing the country's second gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. |
| Ben Ryan | 2013–16 | Ryan coached the Fiji 7s side to 2 back-to-back world series titles and the country's first gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. |
| Alifereti Dere | 2010–13 | |
| Waisale Serevi | 2005–07; 2008–09 | Serevi coached/played in the side from 2005 to 2007 guiding Fiji to their first World Sevens Series title in the 2005–2006 season. |
| Pauliasi Tabulutu | 2004–06 | |
| Wayne Pivac | 2005 | |
| Etuate Waqa | | |
| Ratu Kitione Vesikula | | |
| Rupeni Ravonu | | |
| Peni Veidreyaki | | |
| Alifereti Cawanibuka | | |
| Tomasi Cama | 2001 | |
| Josateki Sovau | 1987 | |
| Sanivalati Laulau | | |
| Timoci Wainiqolo | | |