Fijian Prime Minister sends emphatic message over Ben Gollings’ future

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka of Fiji has raised concerns about Fiji sevens head coach Ben Gollings’ inability to win a leg of the HSBC SVNS since Gollings’ appointment.Rabuka has given the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) until tomorrow to arrange a meeting to discuss the Fiji Airways Men’s National 7s team’s performance.

Following the official opening of parliament, Mr. Rabuka told the FijiTimes and local media that the government would call a meeting if the FRU failed to do so.

“Why did we get those outcomes? Is that the best we could do? These will need to be discussed between management and the government, according to Prime Minister Rabuka.

Gollings has been under increasing pressure to produce a victory after leading the team in 19 tournaments, and this strain has been building for weeks. Despite some success in the pool rounds of the Los Angeles tournament—which just concluded with France winning their first title in 19 years after drafting in 15s captain Antoine Dupont—the squad finished a disappointing sixth.

Gollings has recently come under fire for not including double Olympic gold medallist Jerry Tuwai as a coach or squad member.

The head coach and Tuwai looked to have resolved their differences during a clear-the-air meeting arranged by the FRU, although the crisis is unlikely to end anytime soon given the impending defence of Fiji’s Olympic gold in France.

Former Fiji rugby sevens wing Vilimoni Delasau recently increased the pressure on Gollings by reiterating his demand that Tuwai take over and lead the team to the Olympic Games in Paris alongside former sevens captain Sireli Bobo.

Delasau remarked, “I’m not sure if he (Gollings) was sent to degrade our sevens (rugby) standard or what.” “I’m fed up with the Fiji Rugby Union’s actions. When Gollings is not acting, they keep him there.

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