Page 34 - IB AUG 2018

Book Review

Ratu Peni Raiyani’s

SEVENS HEAVEN

Fiji head coach Ben Ryan (R) celebrates with Ro Dakuwaqa after the medal ceremony. Photo: skysports.com

By Jone Dakuvula his brother was black. Then I turned to was no money to contract him and his
the middle and saw the family picture. players.
“There was no point in bringing So, he came to Fiji partly in spiritual Ben came anyway and started coach-
an english mentality to the South search of a brother, or brothers. ing in Fiji with no salary for six months
Pacific Island.” (page 229) After his time as successful coach of and surviving on his savings. The
Ben Ryan’s book about is about the English Sevens Team, Ben had a job first two managers of his Sevens team
his experiences as a coach for the confirmed in the UK Olympics manage- decided by FRU were cronies who had
Fijian Sevens rugby team is our high- ment team. A secure job, salary, wife never managed any rugby team before.
est achievement in Rugby football; 13 Natalie, house and family to have. Then His third manager, Ropate Kauvesi, was
Olympic Gold medals. It is also a book he got this twitter that the Fiji coach the one who had applied for the job.
about human relations, human fragili- job was up, even though the deadline They connected because he had New
ties, spiritual inspiration and love. It is had closed. His heart jumped, and he Zealand rugby and management expe-
a unique rugby book, and I have read took a life changing decision, that nor- rience. He was an outgoing personality
many rugby books. Every chapter Ryan mal people would not have made. He and was respected by the team that Ben
begins with reminisces of his childhood emailed his CV and Fiji Rugby (FRU) developed.
growing up in a London working-class promptly responded offering an inter- No mention in Ben’s reminisces of his
suburb with his parents, two sisters view on Skype at 2am UK time. He got childhood that he ever went to church,
and his brother Noel that he admired his first taste of “Fiji Time” and culture but he got into the spirit of daily lotu
and loved. two hours later, with people who were (prayers) before training and at tourna-
“My friend has gone, and I don’t not involved in the interview popping ments. He is I think a spiritual person
know how to find him. Me and Noel their faces into the camera to say hello and there are hints of this in words
tighter than I had ever been with and ask inane questions like if he knew like “serendipity” and “kharma.” But
anyone…..” Jonny Wilkinson. there were occasions when lotu spoiled
Ben’s brother was also like him, a tal- FRU decided to appoint him without the rugby, like in Hong Kong when
ented athlete and rugby player and his informing him first that they had or- the Fiji Ambassador to China arrived
family lost him in his early teens when ganised a press conference to announce at 2am and got the team together for
he joined drop-out street kids, ended the decision. Welcome to Fiji and the prayer sessions, rendering the team
up in jail, in and out and then lost. Ben FRU Ratu Peni Raiyani! The FRU had performances the next day a disaster.
still searches for him. Maybe he is dead. mismanaged its F$1.5 million grant But on the whole lotu worked for the
Some way through the book, Ben said from the World Rugby Union and there team spirit and confidence. Ben had to

34 Islands Business, August 2018