Gareth Baber to step down from Fiji 7s role

Olympics winning Fiji 7s head coach Gareth Baber has announced his decision to step down from his role at the end of November.

Baber, who had played 75 games for Dragons between 2003 and 2007 started his coaching career with Cardiff Blues in 2011 and also had a stint with Hong Kong 7s before joining the Fiji 7s side in 2016.

He guided Fiji to a title in the 2018-19 World Rugby Sevens Series and also helped the side clinch the Gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics earlier in the year. Under Baber, Fiji went on to win 11 World Rugby Sevens tournaments beating the previous record set by Ben Ryan of nine.

"It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform Fiji Rugby and the people of Fiji that I will not be accepting the contract offer to coach the Fijian 7s Team to the next Olympic Games," he said.

"I have a burning ambition to challenge my coaching again in the 15s environment and know that I must immerse myself in this if I'm truly to be measured and to progress in my coaching career.

"I'm an individual who is driven by the challenge of the sport that I love, and this is what brought me to Fiji in the first place, the chance to coach the best 7s team in the best rugby nation in the world.

"My family and I have lived the sporting experiences in Fiji that I never thought would have been possible and I cannot express my gratitude enough to the FRU Board and everyone for supporting us on our journey."