Fiji Airways Fiji Men’s 7s playmaker Pilipo Bukayaro has been dubbed as the “Hot Stepper” by rugby pundits who say the 25-year-old possesses one of the most lethal steps on the HSBC SVNS World Series and can create something out of nothing.
While Bukayaro was guilty of some mistakes in some of the games during the Dubai 7s last weekend, he made up for those mistakes with some game-breaking athleticism, which included scoring off a run from the back of the scrum against New Zealand in pool play.
Bukayaro also showed his fight on defence with a few try-saving tackles, the most impressive one was in the quarter final against France where he turned defence into an attack that led to a try scored from deep within their 22-metre line.
He did the same in the cup final after a Spanish linebreak, where he chased his man down, turned the ball over and started an attack from the impossible.
Bukayaro will be looking to continue his consistent performance this weekend in the Cape Town 7s and will also be one of Fiji’s go-to men when the going gets tough.
Fiji is in Pool A alongside Uruguay and Great Britain. They will play Uruguay at 12.38am Sunday before taking on Great Britain at 4.38am Sunday in their second pool match. The Men’s Cup semi finals start at 11.56pm Sunday, with the cup final at 5.11am Monday. Meanwhile, the Fiji Airways Fijiana 7s play both their games on Saturday night, taking on the USA at 7pm before facing Great Britain at 10.16pm.
