17 Jan 2017

Sport: Fiji helps Hong Kong sevens prepare

1:24 pm on 17 January 2017

The Fiji sevens team is scheduled to spend the day playing and training with their new coach's former team, Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is in Fiji to prepare to participate at the weekend's Coral Coast Sevens in Sigatoka as one of two fully fledged international sides, the other being Germany.

Their former coach Gareth Baber, who has only recently arrived in the country himself to take the reins of the champion Fijians, was able to organise the session that will feature his extended squad that is preparing for the upcoming Wellington and Sydney legs of the World Sevens Series.

Hong Kong sevens coach Gareth Baber will take charge of Olympic champions Fiji in January.

Former Hong Kong coach Gareth Baber is now Fiji coach Photo: Andy Jones / Hong Kong Rugby Union / AFP

Interim-Hong Kong coach Jevon Groves said they will benefit from playing against one of the best teams in the world.

"I'm sure that will help us in our development not only for the tournament but throughout the year."

Rugby Union general manager of rugby performance Dai Rees also believes the time with the Fiji squad will be positive, particularly heading into the Coral Coast tournament.

"We didn't just want to go down there and play in it, we felt we needed to take the guys away from club rugby and get them into an intense training camp," Rees said.

The last time the two sides officially met was at the 2015 Japan Sevens which Fiji won 35-14.

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