More focus and fewer distractions, coach Ben Ryan tells Fiji
Englishman wants nothing to interfere with islanders’ push for another Hong Kong title
Fiji's magical players went back into "lockdown" on Friday night after beginning their campaign for a record 15th Cup title with a 38-12 win over Samoa.
The team are off limits to outsiders as head coach Ben Ryan tries to minimise distractions, which he said torpedoed Fiji's bid to complete a hat-trick of titles last year.
"In Hong Kong, everybody is very keen to try to help the team as much as possible and sometimes that over-enthusiasm means the team has had just too much interference and too many distractions," Ryan said.
We had people calling at midnight to give the boys advice and it was a real eye-opener
"It was just like last year when we got to Sunday and the quarter-finals where the boys looked really tired, and their energy levels were low. When I dug deeper I found out that they were spending time off the field and in the hotel talking to people and having distractions.
"We had people calling at midnight to give the boys advice and it was a real eye-opener. Through the World Series we have welcomed all the supporters from Fiji who have been on the ground, but told them if they want the team to win come and see them after the tournament. Before the tournament is all about the team. And they have been fantastic and the Fijian population around the map has been great cheering us on from afar."
Ryan, who has been in charge of Fiji for the past 18 months and has been given the brief to get the team to the Rio Olympics, has brought in a number of rules as he tries his best to isolate the team, so they can just concentrate on the competition.
"There is no curfew. I'm very keen to treat the boys as adults and I'm not going to usher them into bedrooms. But we had a chat about Wifi, and times for that, and obviously no one is allowed into their rooms.