The former sevens coach Ben Ryan has taken another shot at the Fiji Rugby Union, lambasting the governing body for delays in offering contracts to players competing on the World Sevens Series.
In an extended post on his public Facebook page, he said the FRU "never put the players first but instead last" and that players were being asked to perform in major tournaments while they were "worried about their livelihoods and contractual status".
The Fijian players were presented with new contracts at the start of last week, almost two months after the new season kicked off in Dubai.
Fiji were beaten by New Zealand in the fifth place playoff. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Fiji men finished sixth at the Sydney Sevens over the weekend, topping their pool before losing to the USA in the Cup quarter finals and the All Blacks Sevens in the fifth place playoff.
"Anyone with even the slightest ounce of knowledge around performance would know this timing couldn't be any more ill-judged," said Ryan.
"They have families to feed and look after. Is it any wonder the team underperform with these issues?
"The FRU has signed a new commercial deal with an excellent sponsor in Fiji Airways who have given the FRU far more cash than the previous sponsorship deal yet they still can't organise contracts for the players and improved salaries and terms.
"The contracts are never more than a year long so players constantly worry about what will happen in the future. They never put the players first but instead last.
"If they don't agree or they stand up for themselves then they get replaced. They get labelled 'trouble makers'."
Former Fiji 7s coach Ben Ryan was recognised for his Olympic achivement during the 2016 World Rugby Awards. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Ben Ryan, who coached Fiji to Olympic gold in Rio and back to back World Series titles, said the contracts offered to Fiji's sevens players were only ever for one year and players still received the same daily allowance overseas of $100 FJD that was being paid to the team 10-15 years ago.
He said it was no wonder the team was underperforming when they have families to feed and no guarantees over their long-term security.
The Olympic gold medal winning coach said his successor Gareth Baber was not at fault and was being "put under enormous pressure to win tournaments by the FRU" despite "constant issues off the field as the FRU interfere more and more with selection and running of the team."
Last week Ben Ryan raised serious reservations about the cost of the Fiji Rugby Union's bid to host a leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series but the FRU said the figures quoted had been greatly exaggerated.
