Boots and all | Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018: Fiji A v Japan’s Fiji B puts Pacific Island talent drain in the spotlight
Talent drain from Pacific Islands has been well documented but Fiji-Japan clash in San Francisco offers stark reminder of just how big the issue is
The Daily Show host Trevor Noah caused a stir this week when he joked that “Africa won the World Cup” in reference to the amount of players of African heritage in the victorious France team in Russia, and the Rugby World Cup Sevens had its own example on Saturday.
The talent drain from the Pacific Islands has been well documented but the clash between Fiji and Japan in San Francisco offered another stark reminder of just how big the issue is.
It wasn’t quite Fiji A v Fiji B but it wasn’t far off, with four Fijian-born players in the Japan squad.
Fiji clearly aren’t hampered by the drain on the sevens pitch, but when Kalione Nasoko was put fairly and squarely on his backside by Japan’s Fiji-born brute Jose Seru, there’s no doubt he wasn’t too rapt about the situation.