SOLOMON Islands Rugby Union Federation (SIRUF) Technical Adviser Ilivasi Tabua says the Fiji Bitter Marist 7s tournament will be a good platform for the Solomon Islands national 7s team to display their talents.
The former Wallabies and Fijian national team coach shared this with Star Sports as the national side are set to take on best rugby clubs in Fiji this weekend in the Fijian premier national sevens competition.
“We are not only here to play but for them (players) to come and exposed to how 7s is played and with that they can improve their game by playing against top players here in the Marist 7s,” Tabua told Star Sports.
“So the main aim here is that these players are here to improve in playing rugby 7s,” he added.
The former professional rugby player stressed that Solomon Islands players can only get better playing at top level competition like the Marist 7s.
“We want to develop these players and elevate them to the next level.
“We have players who are from the age of 18 to 22 years who are part of the team and with the Marist 7s they can definitely learn and improve,” he added.
Meanwhile, after the managers meeting yesterday, Solomon 7s are drawn in a tough Group alongside Savusavu, Niurua and Sawani.
Other Pacific Islands teams set to participate in the competition are Tuvalu, Islander, PNG Pukpuks and PNG Highlanders.
The 42nd Fiji Bitter Marist Rugby 7s tournament kicks off on Friday at the ANZ Stadium in Suva.
Local students studying at the University of the South Pacific (USP) are also excited to watch the local lads participate in the top competition.
By SIMON ABANA
in Suva, Fiji