Fiji sevens coach Ben Ryan believes he is coaching the best team in the world right now.
The Pacific Islanders won the opening round of the World Sevens Series on the Gold Coast last month, beating pacific rivals Samoa in the final.
Last season Ryan was at pains to play down any hype over Fiji's performances and in the off-season insisted their main aim was a top four finish, which would guarantee direct qualification for the 2016 Olympics.
But the 43 year old says he is becoming more comfortable with the increased expectations on his team.
"I am beginning to embrace it a bit more. You certainly don't want to say anything that will give fuel to the fire of opposition teams and motivate them to play better against you. I think we've got the best team in the world at the moment. I can see some of the other sides are bolstering their teams - notably South Africa, Samoa, England and New Zealand, and Australia I'm sure will in time, so it's no surprise that there's been a reaction to our performance in the Gold Coast".
The Fiji team flies out for Abu Dhabi on Wendesday where they will spend a few extra days training leading into next weekends Dubai Sevens, where they are also defending champions.
