Even before the opening ceremony this week the football and rugby sevens tournaments kicked-off and that meant Gareth Baber was back in familiar action as a leading figure in the Fiji coaching team – and WRU referee Ben Breakspear got his first game as an assistant referee.
The gold medal winning coach from Tokyo three years ago, Baber has since been involved with Edinburgh as a backs coach and is currently the director of rugby services at Cardiff Met. But he got sucked back into international coaching after the Fijians sacked their coach with three of the World Series tournaments left in the build-up to the defence of their Olympic crown.
“I was asked to come in to try to help to put right some of the big issues around the squad and to support the new coaching team,” said Baber.
“Cardiff Met have been fantastic in allowing me to split my time to work with Fiji and it is a huge honour to be involved with the Olympic Games once again. Fiji is one of the few teams in the world who could pull off another win despite recent form.
“There has been a slight shift in context surrounding rugby in Fiji with the creation of the Drua Super Rugby side and a lot of talent and resource has gone into making the 15-a-side team as competitive as possible.
“I went back for the first time since 2021 in October and it is still a country I feel very much in love with. My family lived there for four-and-a-half years and I understand what sevens rugby means to the people in the country.”
As double Olympic champions the ‘Flying Fijians’ were among the likely medal candidates coming into the Games and got their campaign off to a good start with a 40-12 win over Uruguay and then an equally convincing triumph over the USA, 38-12.
The gold medal winning captain of 2016 in Rio, Osea Kolinisau, came in four months ago as head coach and Baber is working alongside him to try to inspire another gold rush. When Kolinisau’s side won eight years ago it was the first Olympic gold medal Fiji had ever won.
They play their final pool match against host nation France, Antoine Dupont and all, at Stade de France on Day 2.
“The French beat Fiji in Madrid by one try and there is no doubt they have the capacity to compete for a medal,” added Baber.
“We’ve been seeking consistency in our performances and there are four gold medal winners in the squad. I think we can do some good things.”
Baber wasn’t able to join in the celebrations after the win in Tokyo because of quarantine restrictions. The team had to spend three weeks together in Fiji before going back to their homes, while Baber headed back to Cardiff to be with his family.
But if there is another golden celebration in Paris he will be in the thick of it. With one gold medal already in his collection, he’d love another.
Then it will be back to the day job at Cyncoed preparing the men’s teams to compete in the new Welsh Premiership and in BUCS Super Rugby, as well as the women’s team in BUCS Super Rugby.
The women’s tournament kicks-off on 28 July, with Jasmine Joyce hoping to finally get on the podium at the third attempt after agonising fourth place finished in Rio and Tokyo. England international Meg Jones, born in Cardiff and a product of Ysgol Glantaf, is in the squad alongside her and Kayleigh Powell is a reserve.
