There may have been no training due to the coronavirus epidemic, but he has spent the past few weeks in lockdwon contemplating not only the future of what was supposed to be his Olympic bound squad, but also his own contract.
The Welshman is all set to emerge from self-isolation at his home in Suva and to go into talks with the CEO of Fiji rugby, John O’Connor, to discuss the full implications of the postponement of the Olympic Games to 2021.
Top of his agenda will be the contractual situation for his players who were hoping to successfully defend Fiji’s Olympic sevens title this year. Some had signed contracts with French and American clubs to join them after this year’s Games.
The former Cardiff Blues coach will also need to ask about his own position now that the Games have been moved forward 12 months. He was given a four year deal when he switched from Hong Kong to Fiji in 2016 to take over from England’s Ben Ryan as coach to the inaugural Olympic champions.
O’Connor confirmed earlier this month that Baber’s initial contract is due to come to an end at the end of this year. The as yet unfinished 2019/20 HSBC World Sevens Series tournaments in London and Paris have been provisionally moved to September and the Hong Kong and Singapore events to October.
That means they could become something of a trial for Baber, whose side are currently in seventh place without a win in five events the year after winning the title.
“When the date comes the board will then decide on the contract terms. We will then review his performance before we can make any decisions whether to keep him or not,” said O’Connor.
“He had to fill big shoes in 2016 after Ben Ryan left and since then he has been the face of the Fiji 7s team’s performance at the HSBC Sevens Series.”
Of more concern to Baber, who has already surpassed Ryan’s record of nine World Series titles with 12 wins since taking over from him, is the re-setting of plans for his squad and the potential for his group to be broken up by external offers once their current contracts expire this year.
On the flip side, perhaps the global financial crisis that will inevitably engulf professional sport once the coronavirus epidemic subsides, could lead to some of the Fijian stars of 2016 returning for another tilt at gold in Tokyo.
“Even though the IOC has taken the decision to move the Olympic Games back a year, there are still a lot of unknowns at the moment. We don’t know what the rest of the World Series season is going to look like, for instance,” said Baber.
“There are still four more events to play in this season’s competition. If we have to add those into next year’s tournament it could mean playing 15 events – or 16 for those going through the repechage competition – before getting to Tokyo.
“That has never been done before and I’ve been trying my best to put in place a plan for that. I’ve also talked to my staff and fellow coaches about potentially players coming back to Fiji ahead of the Games because of the current problems.
“The extra year is a bit of a double edged sword for us. On the one hand it gives us the chance to do more planning and preparation, get over a few injuries and improve our form.
“On the other hand, we have to sort out the contracts for the players for another year and see what the budgets are going to be like given the financial difficulties the world game is going to experience.
“I’ll be sitting down with the CEO to discuss all these issues, as well as to talk about my own contract. I’m not sure what the FRU are going to want to do at this stage, although I know how important the Olympic Games is to them and the whole country.
“I’ve been planning for four years to take this Fijian team to Tokyo in July. It would be strange for me to have to go home before the Games take place and I certainly want to be part of a successful Fijian side at the Olympics.”
Baber has already taken the Fijians to a Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2018, where they lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals and South Africa in the Bronze medal match, and the Commonwealth Games in the same year, where they picked up silver behind the All Blacks. He also steered them to the World Series crown in 2019 with five wins.
With only one survivor from the 2016 Rio squad, Jerry Tuwai, much of Baber’s time has been spent in re-building since taking over from Ryan. What wouldn’t he give for a bit of help from overseas, where Leone Nakawara has starred with Glasgow and Racing 92, Vialime Mata has been a tour de force at Edinburgh and Josua Tuisova has been a constant menace for Toulon.
“The Fijian rugby player tends to be inconsistent – one moment they are brilliant, the next very ordinary. We have only played in fits and starts this season,” said Baber.
“The players are very much village kids and it is a constant battle to try to get them to understand what it takes to be a professional athlete. That said, I know where we need to be as a team and if we get it right I know we can beat anybody.
“Sevens rugby is the lifeblood of sport in Fiji and is very much in the psyche of the people. They have a policy of all out attack and play very much in the here and now.”
Pio Tuwai, 2014 World Sevens Player of the Year, Samisoni Viriviri, and playmaker Kitione Taliga have all intimated their desire to have a shot at the Olympics, as has Tuisova. On top of that, injured player Kalione Nasoko is due to return to action shortly.
If given more time to plan, then Baber might well cast his net wider than his current squad to try to hang on to Fiji’s Olympic crown.
