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Les Fidji ne performent plus et c’est une affaire d’Etat
Aux Fidji, le rugby à sept est une religion. Lorsque les Flying Fijians régnaient sur le monde – époque Ben Ryan – le sélectionneur de l’époque avait reçu les plus grands honneurs de l’île après avoir permis à l’équipe nationale de remporter la toute première médaille olympique de son histoire, qui plus est une médaille d’or.
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Ceci posé, on comprend mieux pourquoi l’absence de résultats des Fidji en ce moment sur le circuit mondial de rugby à sept à cinq mois des Jeux olympiques inquiète au plus haut sommet de l’Etat.
Imaginez Gabriel Attal appeler la FFR
Dans un autre pays, la troisième place au classement général ne serait pas une honte. Mais depuis le début de la saison, les Fidji n’ont remporté qu’une médaille (le bronze à Perth) et ont terminé à la 6e place à Vancouver et Los Angeles.
Ce n’est pas suffisant et le Premier ministre du pays, Sitiveni Rabuka, l’a indirectement fait savoir au sélectionneur Ben Gollings. On voit mal en France Gabriel Attal sermonner Jérôme Daret pour le début décevant de la saison – à moins qu’il l’ai fait et c’est pourquoi la France vient de remporter coup sur coup deux médailles, le bronze à Vancouver et l’or à Los Angeles !
Mais aux Fidji, c’est différent et on ne plaisante pas avec le Sevens. L’échec du sélectionneur Ben Gollings à remporter une étape du HSBC SVNS depuis sa nomination a conduit le Premier ministre à donner un ultimatum à la Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) pour convoquer une réunion afin d’examiner les performances de l’équipe nationale.
Le premier ministre pose un ultimatum
S’adressant au FijiTimes et aux médias locaux après l’ouverture officielle du Parlement, Sitiveni Rabuka a déclaré que si la fédération fidjienne de rugby ne convoquait pas de réunion, le gouvernement le ferait.
« Pourquoi avons-nous obtenu ces résultats ? Est-ce qu’on fait ce qu’il faut ? Ces questions devront faire l’objet d’une discussion entre le gouvernement et la direction », a déclaré le Premier ministre Rabuka.
La pression sur Gollings s’est accentuée depuis plusieurs semaines avec son incapacité à remporter une victoire après 19 tournois sous sa direction.
Forte pression sur Ben Gollings
Récemment, l’Anglais Ben Gollings, meilleur marqueur de tous les temps sur le circuit, a été confronté à des critiques pour ne pas avoir impliqué le double médaillé d’or olympique Jerry Tuwai en tant que membre de l’équipe ou en tant qu’entraîneur.
Une réunion organisée en début d’année par la fédé avait permis d’apaiser les tensions entre Tuwai et le sélectionneur, mais la situation n’est pas près de s’apaiser avec la défense de la médaille d’or olympique des Fidji en France.
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Vilimoni Delasau, ancien ailier du rugby à sept des Fidji, a récemment fait monter la pression sur Gollings en réitérant son appel à Tuwai pour qu’il prenne la relève et entraîne l’équipe aux Jeux olympiques de Paris aux côtés de l’ancien capitaine du rugby à sept, Sireli Bobo.
« Je ne sais pas s’il (Ben Gollings) a été envoyé pour dégrader le niveau de notre rugby à sept ou quoi », a déclaré Delasau. « Je suis fatigué de ce qu’ils (la Fédération fidjienne de rugby) font. Ils le (Gollings) gardent là alors qu’il n’est pas performant. »
Comments on RugbyPass
A distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
1 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
6 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
6 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
5 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
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