RUGBY SEVENS: He might be 13,500kms from his home on Sydney’s northern beaches, but men’s sevens star Jesse Parahi says he is already buoyed by the support they are receiving in Australia.
“We all love seeing the messages come through on social media and it’s nice to have the support when you’re away from home,” said Parahi, who turns 27 today (29 July).
“We’re pumped to be here and while it’s nice to have our own space in Portobello, we’ll really get the vibe of the Olympics when we move into the village. Only then will we be able to enjoy the Olympic experience I think.”
After well-documented complications with the accommodation at the Olympic Village, the men’s and women’s teams travelled straight from Rio de Janeiro Galeao International Airport to Portobello Resort 100kms south of the Olympic host city – a venue where the Italian national soccer side stayed prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Parahi said: “Training has been going really good – we had flush, gym and then recovery yesterday and a relaxing day today and we’ll be having a big session tomorrow (Friday). It’s been good to share the facility down here with the women’s team – we don’t tour with them often so it’s good to exchange ideas when we’re away.”
The age-old mantra one game at a time is never truer than in the fickle game of rugby sevens and Parahi is looking no further than his team’s opener against the enigmatic French – a match that doubles as the first of the men’s competition on 9 August (local time).
The teams last met in Glasgow, Scotland in May 2015 when the men in gold ran out comfortable 38-7 winners.
Virimi Vakatawa, a member of World Rugby’s Dream Team of the Season for the 2015-16 season, looms as the biggest threat to Australia’s ambition of a winning start in Deodoro Stadium. The Fijian-born French powerhouse holds a unique deal with his national governing body meaning he is contracted to both the XVs and Sevens programs and not any club side.
“We didn’t play France at all last season but we’re fully aware of the players we need to look out for. That said, if we concentrate on the things we’re good at then we’ll give ourselves a strong chance of winning the game.
“Vakatawa is a very, very good player. He’s big, fast, strong, agile and has a good offload. We’ve looked at ways to shut him down that’s for sure.”
After playing an important role in Australia qualifying for a rugby sevens debut in the Summer Olympics program in Auckland last November, the 35-cap veteran left the Australian rugby sevens program for a short stint with NRL side Wests Tigers. However, the thrill of the inaugural Sydney 7s and lure of Rio saw Parahi switch back to the abbreviated form of rugby.
“This is what I was really pushing for when I re-joined in March. It’s kind of surreal that I’m here and to be honest it hasn’t quite sunk in yet. As I said, we’re pumped to be here and I’m just grateful to be part of a great, tight-knit group of blokes.”
The men’s rugby sevens competition commences on day four (9 August) of the Rio 2016 Olympics with Australia kicking off proceedings against France before taking on Spain and then much-fancied South Africa in Pool B.
STEVE STAMMERS
olympics.com.au
