Fiji's sevens coach expects a torrid battle against Samoa in the opening game of today's Paris Sevens even though Samoa has had limited success this year.
Samoa's best finish in Gordon Tietjens first year as coach has been quarterfinals in three tournaments and the team lies way down in 13th place on the series table.
However Fiji's Gareth Baber said the Samoans still pose a tough challenge on day one.
"We've played previously against each other. They are tough battles, they are always physical. Game one on day one is always going to be a tricky one for any team you come up against," he said.
"We have to just make sure we prepare and have our eyes on what we need to get done. I am sure Gordon will be doing the same thing. The reality is we have got to win all three of those games to put ourselves in the position to keep doing what we want to do," Baber said.
Australia and Russia are the other two teams in Fiji's pool.
The Fiji team celebrate a third consecutive Hong Kong title Photo: World Rugby - Martin Seras Lima
