Gareth Baber is Fiji 7s men's coach

Hong Kong 7s rugby coach Gareth Baber is the new Vodafone Fiji 7s men’s coach as highlighted by Fijivillage yesterday afternoon.

Fiji Rugby Union Chairman Francis Kean made the announcement at Rugby House in earlier today.

Baber has been contracted until the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

Kean says Baber has a wealth of experience as a 7s player, playing and captaining the Wales National 7s Team in the World Rugby Series, two Rugby 7s World Cup tournaments and two Commonwealth Games.

Baber also has an extensive coaching career both for the 7s and 15s codes having being the Assistant Coach for the Wales National 7s Team from 2005 to 2006 and the Head Coach for the Wales National 7 Team from 2006 to 2008 prior to taking up different coaching capacities including Head Coach for the Cardiff Blues.

Baber is a World Rugby Level 4 Accredited Coach and has academic qualifications in Economics, Social Studies and International Transportation.

Kean says Baber will start in January 2017 after giving his 3 months notice to the Hong Kong Rugby Union.

His first tournament will be the 2017 Wellington 7s on the 28th-29th of January.

Kean says the FRU Board is confident that Baber possesses the relevant skill sets and experience required to ensure that Fiji maintains its leading role in the abbreviated code.

Kean adds that Baber will also pick his own players.

Kean says that Ben Ryan was in consultation with the CEO of FRU but he did not participate in the final selection process.

So the new coach has been unveiled and I'm sure all Fijians join me in wishing him nothing but positivity and lolomas. #veilomani pic.twitter.com/aekyZyyIsm

— Ben Ryan (@benjaminryan) October 28, 2016

When asked about Osea Kolinisau’s future on whether the 7s captain would want to go into coaching, Kean said that this is Kolinisau’s decision.

Fiji 7s strength and conditioning coach, Nacanieli Cawanibuka will take the team to the Oceania, Dubai and Cape Town 7s tournaments.

Meanwhile Iliesa Tanivula has been appointed as the Telecom Fijiana 7s coach.

As earlier highlighted by Fijivillage, 44-year-old Gareth Baber is a former Welsh rugby footballer and former assistant coach with the Wales National Under 20 team.

He was also academy skills coach at Welsh regional side Cardiff Blues and was one of the Head Coaches for the Cardiff Blues.

Others in contention for the top Fiji 7s job were Ben Gollings and Nacanieli Cawanibuka.

Also earlier highlighted was former NZ 7s coach, Sir Gordon Tietjens had also applied for the Fiji job however he took up the Samoa 7s coach’s post as he was offered that position first.

Newly appointed Vodafone Fiji 7s men’s coach Gareth Baber says this is an incredible opportunity to work with the present world and Olympic champions.

Speaking from the Hong Kong Rugby Union office, Baber says coaches, like players, need to constantly challenge themselves, and he wants to continuously strengthen his knowledge of the game and the competition level that Fiji operates at will provide that opportunity.

He says he has tremendous affection for Hong Kong and Hong Kong rugby and if there is one positive to him leaving it is the opportunity to work with Fiji Rugby, who have such a special relationship with the city, and the chance to return every year during the Hong Kong Sevens.

In his time with the Hong Kong Rugby Union, Baber has been instrumental in developing greater depth in Hong Kong’s men’s and women’s national sevens squads and junior programmes.

He leaves the HKRU in a strong position, with the men’s 7s coming within ten minutes of a place at the 2016 Rio Games and having won their third Asian sevens title in five years earlier this month.

#hk7s will see Baber this April in different colours!! Congrats Gareth! https://t.co/oxPrPR4FpG pic.twitter.com/s4yDK6NbIX

— HKRU (@HongKongRugby) October 28, 2016

Hong Kong Rugby Union Chairman Pieter Schats commented on Baber’s departure saying that they are highly appreciative of Gareth’s efforts during his time with the Rugby Union.

Dai Rees, General Manager of Performance Rugby at the Hong Kong Rugby Union, also noted that Baber’s appointment would further strengthen ties between Fiji Rugby and Hong Kong, long a home‑away‑from‑home venue for the Fijians in international sevens.

Rees says as proof of the deepening ties between the two unions, prior to Baber’s appointment, Hong Kong had confirmed that it will visit Fiji in January as part of its build‑up campaign for April’s Hong Kong Sevens.