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Drink driving Fiji 7s captain now faces race against time to make Hong Kong


Fiji Sevens captain Kalione Nasoko
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Fiji Sevens captain Kalione Nasoko, who will be sentenced for drink driving on March 29, is battling to overcome a knee cartilage injury in time to lead the defence of their HSBC Hong Kong Sevens title.

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Head coach Gareth Baber has endured a rough patch in charge since the back-to-back wins in Cape Town and Hamilton in this season’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series which has just seen Fiji compete in Las Vegas and Vancouver without lifting a title. They did beat the USA to finish third in Vancouver to restore confidence.

It means Fiji are in third place on 101 points in the standing behind USA (113) and New Zealand (106) building up to the Hong Kong (5-7 April) and Singapore (13-14 April) legs but Baber is backing Nasoko to deliver some much needed good news by overcoming his knee problem.

Baber is already without Waisea Nacuqu who is out for the rest of series with a serious shoulder injury, while Vilimoni Botitu is suffering from neck pains and star man Jerry Tuwai has an aggravated ankle.

Baber has been impressed with the performances of new boys Isoa Tabu and Asaeli Tuivoka but will be mindful of the challenge facing his players in Hong Kong where they have been drawn in the Pool of Death with New Zealand, Australia and Kenya.

While the rest of the Fiji squad has returned home, Mesulame Kunavula has been given permission to travel to Edinburgh to sort out his visa to enable him to join the Guinness Pro 14 side. Baber told local media: “He is still in negotiation with the Edinburgh and part of that is he has sort his visa out and then eventually takes up a permanent contract with Edinburgh. Obviously players are getting an opportunity like this and it’s important for them to pursue those and Kunavula has been given that time to travel to Edinburgh to sort his visa out for his long term contract there.”

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NoLongerARuck 59 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

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