Fiji ready to host top sides
This year’s Coral Coast Sevens will feature a number of top international players and sides when it takes place from November 13-15.
Published by Alison Donnelly, November 9th, 2014
3 minute read
The Fiji hosted event features 16 women’s sides which include the Aussie Pearls (Australia’s development side), home team Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, and the USA as well as a raft of leading representative sides from the region.
Tournament director Nick Jordan said the women's competition at the tournament was growing in strength.
”The expanded Crest Na Iri Trophy is a positive sign for women's rugby and a fantastic opportunity for local talents to shine ahead of the critical Olympic qualifying year," Jordan said.
"The Bayleys Fiji Coral Coast 7s is the premier tournament for women in the country and will again showcasing Fiji's best players to a global audience and continue the development of women's rugby here."
Hosts Fiji will go with their strongest squad for the tournament and will use it certainly as a benchmark for how they are likely to fare in the start of the Women’s Sevens World Series in Dubai - where they will take their place as a core side for the season.
Australia coach Tim Walsh has named a strong development side including
speedster Taleena Simon while veteran Nicole Beck has also earned a call-up after recovering from an ankle injury while up front skipper Sharni Williams and Shannon Parry return after being rested for the Central Coast Sevens.
Tim Walsh said: “This tournament is very important to us as it will be the last opportunity for the squad to impress me ahead of selection for Dubai. We are putting the final touches to our preparations so I expect us to hit the ground running in Fiji.
“Taleena Simon impressed me at the National Championships in March and has fully earned her position in this squad. In speed testing she was right up there with Ellia Green so I’m looking forward to giving her the opportunity to perform on the field with some of the country’s best players in a tournament environment.
"It is also a big boost having Sharni [Williams], Shannon [Parry] and Alicia [Quirk] back which means we are nearly back to full strength.”Fans will be able to watch a live stream of the Coral Coast Sevens tournament viawww.mytfl.com.fj