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Fiji sevens dominate end of season awards

By Alex Shaw
Meli Derenalagi celebrates scoring a try during the Cup semi final between Fiji and England on day two of the HSBC Rugby Sevens Singapore at the National Stadium. (Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images for Singapore Sports Hub)

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series came to its conclusion on Sunday, with Fiji crowned champions thanks to their Cup win over New Zealand in Paris, a result which saw them just pip rivals the USA to top spot overall.

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The two nations have gone back and forth all season and Fiji held just a two-point advantage over the USA heading into Paris, with a highly-anticipated semi-final match-up between the two, that Fiji won 33-17, deciding the outcome of the whole Series.

The annual award ceremony of the Series was held following the end of the Paris leg and, unsurprisingly, Fiji were one of the big winners from the night.

Meli Derenalagi won the Rookie of the Year award, whilst Vilimoni Botitu, who was also in contention for the Rookie of the Year gong, picked up the DHL Impact Player, with his Series-leading 356 points coming via 124 tackles, 24 breaks, 49 offloads and 159 carries. Both youngsters promise a bright future for Fiji sevens.

Derenalagi and Botitu both also made the HSBC Dream Team, alongside Fijian teammates Jerry Tuwai and Aminiasi Tuimaba.

The other three spots on the team were taken by US stars Folau Niua, Stephen Tomasin and Ben Pinkelman, with the USA also featuring prominently among the awards.

Head coach Mike Friday picked up the Capgemini Coach of the Series award, whilst Danny Barrett was given the UL Mark of Excellence for his athletic display against New Zealand in the Cape Town leg of the Series last year. Speedster wing Carlin Isles finished as the Gilbert Top Try Scorer, having crossed the whitewash 52 times during the Series, something which saw him successfully defend the trophy, having picked it up last season as well.

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The other two awards of the night saw France pick up the Fair Play award and Pol Pla and Spain deservedly wrap up the TAG Heuer Don’t Crack Under Pressure award for their outstanding display to beat New Zealand in the Vancouver leg of the Series earlier this year.

Watch: Fiji have turned down an offer from China for sevens coaches

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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