The sound of firecrackers, the beating of drums and corrugated iron sheets, the tooting of car horns, the sight of people running on the road and the patriotic cheering for the Fiji 7s team was the atmosphere all over Fiji last night.
Although it was approaching midnight when the Digicel Fiji 7s team beat New Zealand in the final by 35-28, people were up in numbers to celebrate Fiji’s win for a record 13th time in Hong Kong.
Some were still up and celebrating until about 4 o’clock this morning.
The talk of the final being one of the best ever is also continuing today as the team left for Tokyo to try to win the Japan 7s and top the IRB world series.
On the streets, excitement was in the air about Fiji’s brave performance in Hong Kong.
These are the words of Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama as he congratulates the Digicel Fiji 7s team on their win.
He said the team’s performance over the weekend can only be credited to discipline and teamwork.
Commodore Bainimarama said the team’s performance brought a time of unity for the nation and a sense of patriotism among all Fijians regardless of ethnicity.
He added in Fiji, rugby sevens is not only a sport but a time for all Fijians to get together with neighbors, friends and family to cheer the nation on as one.
The prime minister said bringing the Hong Kong Sevens cup home is a great bonus along with the exceptional performance by the team.
The head of government said Fiji as a nation is fully behind the sevens team and will continue to support their performance in the rest of the tournaments in the series.
Story by: Vijay Narayan & Rusiate Baleilevuka
Feature
Celebrations across the country after record win
