On
March 23, the Hong Kong 7s tournament kicked off. It is part of the IRB
Sevens World Series which is held annually. I have often mentioned
before to friends that there are only three tournaments that the Fiji 7s
team loves/aims to win and they are; Rugby World Cup 7s, Wellington 7s
and the big one, Hong Kong 7s. It's not so much that Hong Kong is the
only tournament with prize-money (and a massive one at that!), it's just
that the tournament has endeared itself to the hearts and minds of
everyday Fijians.
From
back in the day when television was a novel idea and a brand new gadget
for the wealthy in Fiji, the Hong Kong 7s was the ultimate. Back in the
days when the Fiji 7s team usually comprised of the most winning-est
local club side in Fiji, the tournament at So Ko Po Stadium held much
promise for the athletes that participated in it.
Anyways,
so last Friday (Mar 23), the torney kicked off. School finished at
midday as always and I had already made plans to stay on campus for
another weekend. Everybody was astonished that I would attempt two
weekends in a row but I had my reasons. Top of the list was the Hong
Kong 7s.
I
googled the tourney and converted the fixture times for Fiji and set my
plan around those times. And everything worked out, to a T.
On
Friday evening; I had a can of sardines, a can of pineapple slices and a
loaf of French bread and logged onto the net to catch the first match.
Fiji 36:0 Hong Kong
Slept
in on Saturday morning and got up at about 8am. When you're
consistently getting up at 5:30 every morning, 8am seems like a real
luxury. I went about my day and that included cleaning up my room,
running to the village to pick up some supplies and chow, doing some
laundry and having a nap. But...i had set my alarm for Fiji's second
pool encounter. So I ate a hastily prepared lunch of bread, foie du porc
and orange juice and opened up the livestreaming site to catch the
rugby.
Fiji 22-12 Spain
The
Spanish put up quite a fight and the Fiji side struggled to find the
form that accounted for the Canadians the previous evening.
A
friend of mine on campus had earlier invited me to dinner at his place.
So I reluctantly accepted. Probably he was one of the few people who
spoke decent English but I was hesitant because I wasn't in the mood to
socialise on such a personal level i.e. in someone's home and at their
dinner table. Steve is a maintenance dude at the school and he was one
of the first people to come up to me and introduce himself.
So
he turns up at school to pick me up and we go riding to pick his cousin
up. It turns out, that we weren't going out for dinner but rather, we
were heading to a local Nakamal, which is basically a Vanuatu grog
parlour. I say Vanuatu because the concept and the name Nakamal
originate from there so as such, due respect to the peeps.
Nakamal/Vanuatu
grog is really lethal when compared to most other grog concoctions from
around the Pacific. Back home, we have to mix out grog just right in
order to enjoy it fully. The Nakamal grog is so thick and storng that
after three or four bowls, you're set for the evening and you can carry
that buzz on for a good while.
I
told Steve that I had to be back in school at a certain time and he was
only too happy to oblige. After dinner (same as lunch) I setlled down
for Fiji's final encounter.
Canada 5-26 Fiji
Fiji hadn't been too convincing in the first two days but they were unbeaten and that's all that counts.
What
happened next was quite a blur. The knock-out stages of the tournament
were exhilirating and kept me on the edge of my seat. It was kinda weird
not being able to shour encouragement, curse at the ref and just make
all sorts of unnecessary noises, as is the way of th islands.
Students had begun to arrive back on campus and I was trying my hardest to supress the urge to shout and scream.
Quarter-finals:Fiji 29-5 Australia
Semi-finals:
Fiji 26-14 New Zealand
Fiji 26-14 New Zealand
After a very, very disappointing first 10 minutes of the final, Wales led 19-0. Already my brain was doing calculations as to how and when Fiji should strike in order to make it a contest again. Which is saying alot because I, for one, am so allergic to figures and mathematics. They just give me such a brain-freeze.
Then
in 10 glorious minutes, the match was turned on it's head (like the
Ilai Tinai tip-tackle that earned him a yellow card and a short respite
from the action).
Wales 19-26 Fiji
Social
network sites were abuzz with Fijians from everywhere making such a
fracas about winning the tourney that one can't help but join in. It was
such a heart-stopping match and one I'm glad to have watched live, even
if I was stuck in Pouembout, miles away from home.
This is looking to be a very good week for me. Fingers crossed.
This is looking to be a very good week for me. Fingers crossed.
