Dubai Sevens: Osea Kolinisau wants to emulate his mentor Ben Ryan as Flying Fijians eye return to glory

First Olympic gold medal winning sevens captain is back as coach and he wants to recreate the ‘ultimate’ standards set by former boss

Fiji players train at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai. Photo: Martin Seras Lima / TrySportimages

Even allowing for their rise in status after establishing themselves as a Premier League side in recent years, Brentford might not expect to have a particularly sizeable supporter base in the South Pacific.

It is a long way from Fiji to West London. And, after all, Brentford is just a bus stop in Hounslow anyway, as their fans like to point out.

And yet one appointment the club made to their backroom staff a couple of years ago created a buzz in Suva and beyond. Ben Ryan’s recruitment to the new role of performance director at Brentford suddenly had Fijians switching their footballing allegiances.

“Liverpool has always been my team, but ever since Ben took up Brentford, Brentford is up there with Liverpool now,” Osea Kolinisau said.

Ryan is a lifelong Brentford fan and long-time season ticket holder who was brought in to join their brains trust alongside Thomas Frank and Co in 2022.

His football CV did not amount to a whole load more than consulting with AFC Wimbledon previously, but he had a track record for sporting excellence.

Much of which was established on the rugby fields of the UAE. Between 2010 and 2015, Ryan was the winning coach four times at the Emirates Dubai Sevens – twice each with England and Fiji.

It was with the latter of those teams with which he really forged his reputation – and an inextricable bond, too.

Despite being the country which is most synonymous with sevens, Fiji have traditionally struggled in Dubai. In the 23 seasons that the world sevens series has been played in the city, they have won the title just twice.

It is quite the outlier, given they have won the Hong Kong Sevens 19 times in all, as well as winning the first two Olympic sevens tournaments.

They won the Emirates International Trophy in 2013 and 2015, when Ryan was coach and Kolinisau the captain of a side building to become the first winners of an Olympic sevens event.

The absence of either in the years since has meant a return to the barren times, as South Africa have dominated instead, winning Dubai six times in eight years, and five in a row.

Now, though, Kolinisau is back. He was installed as coach after Ben Gollings was replaced before the end of last season. Four months after he took over, Fiji were back in an Olympic final, although this time they had to settle for silver behind the Antoine Dupont-inspired France in Paris.

“I had always felt that when I finished playing I would like to coach Fiji, especially having played under Ben’s tutelage,” Kolinisau said. “He inspired me. It was always in my mind to one day coach Fiji.”

One of Ryan’s first moves when he became coach of Fiji was to bring Kolinisau back from the wilderness. He made him captain, and with the duo at the helm Fiji soared to great heights.

Kolinisau was the flag bearer at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, and scored the opening try in the final of that maiden sevens tournament, as Fiji thrashed Great Britain.

“I am always in touch with Ben,” Kolinisau said. “I always ask him about things I question myself about. It is good to have him on the line as a mentor. I am really lucky to have Ben there guiding me.

“I know he is very busy in the Premier League, but if I have questions he says, ‘Oscar, just shoot me a message if you are ever stuck.’ I message him now and then to ask him how he would go about things.

“When I have a question about things, I ask him if I am doing the right thing. I am really privileged to have Ben as a mentor.”

In retirement, Kolinisau played in an invitational tournament in Dubai in 2021 with Speranza 22, the Abu Dhabi-based charity side.

He has been conspicuous by his absence from the Fiji set up, though, until now. He said he asked for Ryan’s opinion before taking up the offer to replace Gollings.

“I asked what he thought, and he had always said, ‘Oscar, you should come and coach Fiji,’” Kolinisau said.

“To me, the ultimate standard was the standard Ben set. I truly believe the way he coached Fiji was the right way. I hope that I can live up to his standards and one day be close to his standards as a coach.”

Does that mean standards for behaviour off the field? Or a return to the high-risk, attacking play on it for which the Flying Fijians are best known?

“All of it,” Kolinisau said. “The standards on the field, the standards outside. We want to bring back the way Fijians play.

“For too long, we haven’t played the way we used to. That is something we want to bring back. We want to play with a free heart, a kind heart, and do it with a heart that helps everyone.

“We have two debutants here but the other players have all played in the series, a few old heads, and when we go to any tournament we go with a plan to win. We have had a very good pre-season and we are looking forward to the Dubai Sevens.”