THIS IS MORE OF THE SEVENS WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE PLAYED!

7s of old - 7s of Gold!

Back to basics ... new sevens coach Alifereti Dere, left, and his assistant Etuate Waqa at Rugby House in Suva after their appointment yesterday. Picture: ELIKI NUKUTABU

NEWLY-appointed Fiji sevens coach Alifereti Dere plans to do away with structured rugby and restore Fijian flamboyance to restore lost glory on the world stage.

The former national sevens captain yesterday said structured rugby was not meant for Fijians in the abbreviated code.

Dere's appointment was announced yesterday with former national rep Etuate Waqa, the Fiji Rugby Union's development officer, appointed as his assistant.

A key player in the late Ratu Kitione Tuibua Vesikula-coached national team, Dere said the pattern of rugby played during his heyday in the early 90s suited Fiji's sevens game better.

"We have a 100m by 70m playing field with only 14 players playing on that. We have got a lot of space. Why structure the game when we have only seven minutes to play each half," said Dere, who holds an International Rugby Board (IRB) Level One coaching certificate.

He said the structured game Fiji had been playing the past five to seven years had not helped our standing in the IRB HSBC Sevens World Series.

FRU chairman Colonel Mosese Tikoitoga said it was the pair's coaching philosophy that got them their jobs.

Col. Tikoitoga said the decision was not an easy one after interviewing the four short-listed candidates which included Dere, Waqa, Sailosi Naiteqe and former Wallaby Acura Niuqila last week.

"Alifereti Dere's coaching philosophy is based on improved fitness and more running Fijian rugby which is something the board thinks we should bring back," he said in a statement to The Fiji Times.

"He is basing his coaching philosophy on continuous attack and continuously throwing the ball around the pitch which is something we want to see in our sevens team.

"He (Waqa) wants us to defend as aggressively as we can to intimidate the opposing teams, and the confidence gained from good defence will provide the opportunity for the attack."

Meanwhile, a Digicel Fiji sevens squad has already been identified by Dere and Waqa to march into camp from tomorrow.

The first part of the HSBC Sevens World Series now consists of three tournaments beginning with the Gold Coast Sevens (Australia) on November 25-26, Dubai (UAE) on December 2-3 and the Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens (South Africa) on December 9-10.

Dere, who is employed by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), may possibly miss the Australia and New Zealand leg because of the travel sanction imposed on RFMF officers by the two countries.

Waqa, who holds an IRB Level Three coaching certificate, will coach the side for the two tournaments, if Dere is unable to travel.