Photo: Fiji Rugby Facebook
Opinion - Sevens rugby was once deemed as Fiji's game to own.
No one played the game better than the Fijians who took to sevens like the Brazilians to football.
Back in the 80s and in the 2000s, fans could virtually pick out who the winner will be in Hong Kong, where the Fijians dominated ahead of everyone else.
The All Blacks 7s were a close second always, with the Australians, England, Wales and Scotland providing some challenge now and then.
In the last 20 years, sevens rugby has gone from a game that a few mastered to one where almost everyone who is competing can lay claim to the top titles on offer.
The introduction of the World Sevens Series, now coined the HSBC SVNS Series, plus the Sevens Rugby World Cup, and the inclusion of the abbreviated code in the Olympic Games schedules have transformed "the game the angels love to play in heaven".
New Zealand dominated the earlier years of the series and shared with Fiji and England the world up 7s titles.
Women sevens was introduced along the way and that has grown in leaps and bounds as well.
In the past five years, the growth has expanded so much that it is now impossible to pick a standout team anymore in the men's competition.
Argentina, France, South Africa and Spain have joined the bandwagon as favorites, winning over Fiji, Australia and New Zealand almost at will some times, while England, Wales and Scotland, now all grouped together as Great Britain, have also been impressive.
The women's competition has Australia and New Zealand leading at most events but there have been strong challenges from France, USA, Fiji and newbies China.
World Rugby has revised the sevens series three times in the past and the new format, where the top eight teams in the men's and women's competitions are competing against each other means teams will have to be at their best.
Only the top two teams from each pool get into the semifinals. That basically means each team must go in with the focus to win.
It makes the competition tougher and exciting as well, which is something Fijian men's head coach Osea Kolinisau knows will demand players to be fit and ready physically, spiritually and mentally.
Singapore challenge
The Fijians are tied with New Zealand and South Africa on 32 points each after two tournaments - Dubai and Cape Town - and heading into Singapore this weekend.
Kolinisau, who led Fiji to claiming the first ever sevens rugby gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games, told the media this week their focus during the Christmas and New Year holidays training session has been on wholesome fitness, with mental toughness as the critical aspect of that preparation.
"We spend a lot of time just talking about our mental preparation and especially getting ready for the game," he said.
"The boys know that's something that we want to clean up, especially being disciplined, especially on our tackles. Make sure that we make the right decision and we're not too aggressive.
"We want to play to the rule. We got the boys to train fatigued, so they are tired, just to make sure that we're making the right decisions and we're being disciplined enough.
"That's something we've been trying very hard with the boys, making sure they make the right decision when they're tired."
They are defending champions too this weekend in Singapore but Kolinisau knows the best formula for them is to just take one game at a time.
Great Britain are first up for them on Saturday afternoon, with Spain and then South Africa as their pool opponents.
Taking one game at a time is also the same sentiments shared by his Fijiana women's team counterpart Richard Walker.
The Fijiana are chasing top four finish.
They are currently sitting at sixth position on the table with 22 points, 16 lower than joint leaders Australia and New Zealand.
To remain in the Tier 1 series, it would be critical for the side to stay in the top four, or failing that the top six, because the bottom two teams will be replaced by qualifiers from the Sevens 2 Series, which will kick off in Nairobi next week.
The Fijiana side take on Australia in their first game on Saturday afternoon, before they face USA in game two and then battle Japan in their third game.
Walker said they want to improve, learn from their past mistakes and be consistent.
Review of their past performances in Dubai and Cape Town have been done and Walker is confident the players are ready for the challenge.
"We've done some good things and the thing is to make sure that we can replicate some of those good things," he told the media this week.
"We don't want to be overthinking of what we need to work on when we play these teams.
"The girls have been really proactive and they're doing a really good job."
News from Singapore states humidity will be at a high again, ranging between 75 to 90 per cent.
World Rugby said the heat and humidity in the stadium push players to their physical limits, spiking their heart rates and tiring them rapidly. But it also affects their performance and can, therefore, change game plans.
The conditions in the stadium become an 'invisible defender' as they cause sweat and condensation to accumulate on the ball, making it more like a bar of soap than a piece of sporting equipment.
It makes the challenge tougher than usual.
2026 calendar
The series moves to Perth on 7-8 February, Vancouver from 7-8 March and New York on 14-15 March.
Then there is the World Championship, which now replaces the World Cup 7s, that spread over three tournaments.
It will kick off in Hong Kong on 17-19 April, Valladolid on 29-31 May and Bordeaux in France on 5-7 June.
To get into the Sevens Series teams must come through Sevens 3, which was held two weekends ago in Dubai, and the Sevens Two series.
Belgium and Canada have qualified from the Sevens 3 in the men's competition, while Argentina and South Africa in the women's join them too.
Disappointing results in Dubai for the Samoa and Tonga men's teams and the Samoa women's side, which proves once again that the smaller nations in the game have grown in status and strength across the board.
The top teams from the Sevens 2 series will then get the chance to qualify for the Sevens Series and also appear at the World Championship.
But for this weekend, the focus will be on what transpires at the Singapore National Stadium over Saturday and Sunday.
All 16 teams across the men's and women's competitions will be vying for crucial league points ahead of the three-tournament Championship later this year.
