Fiji in ominous sevens form
February 4, 2000

In the first two rounds of pool play in the Wellington round of the World Sevens Series Fiji were in ominous form.

In their first match, against Papua New Guinea, they ran in 8 tries to win 54-0. Their ability to retain possession and then strike when gaps opened up was the main feature of their play. Waisale Serevi was in sparkling form, orchestrating and probing in characteristic fashion.In their second game , against the USA, they made a slower start , holding a slender 14-10 lead. They cut loose in the second period to run out comfortable 47-10 winners.

New Zealand, the other Series joint leaders , made a very slow start against the unknown Cook Islanders. The experiment of playing Jonah Lomu in the forwards was unsuccessful and the home side's nervousness was eagerly exploited by the Islanders. New Zealand held a slender half time lead of 7-5 and a sensational upset was on the cards , but second half tries by Cullen and Te Nana settled Kiwi nerves.Their second game against Tonga was a different story. Lomu was restored to the wing and the play of the side was more purposeful, the aggression of their defence denying the Tongans any rhythm. In a one -sided procession New Zealand scored 9 tries to win 57-0.

Live Sports

Communication error please reload the page.

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices