Fiji have revenge on their minds as England beckon
Beaten last year in semi-final shock, Ben Ryan's charges are out to redeem themselves
Fiji coach Ben Ryan brought an air of caution with him to the post-mortem, a surprise considering his side had just crushed the life out of Canada 45-0 to remain unbeaten after two days of play at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens on Saturday.
It was soon crystal clear why.
Last year the Fijians had similarly flown through the early stages at Hong Kong Stadium only to be stopped - dead - by England in the semi-finals in the one true shock of the tournament.
England beat us here 12 months ago and it rates as my lowest moment in 18 months with Fiji
This year, the win over Canada had just set up a Cup quarter-final for the Fijians against - you guessed it - England, who had earlier tied 21-21 with the United States to finish second in their group.
And so Ryan cut straight to the chase.
"England beat us here 12 months ago and it rates as my lowest moment in 18 months with Fiji," said Ryan.
"They played a game plan that beat the way Fiji play and we didn't react to it. Five of this side played in that game last year. We've waited 12 months to atone - let's see if we can take it."
And while Ryan is committed to the Fijian cause heart and soul, take a moment to consider that he is both Englishman and a former England sevens coach - and what could be on the cards should the English be beaten.
