The head coach of the Manu Samoa Sevens, Muliagatele Brian Lima, and his management team were handed their termination letters last month, just as they were departing for the Olympic Games in France. This decision followed the team’s poor performance in the last World Rugby Sevens season, which resulted in the loss of their core team status on the circuit.
Muliagatele expressed his disappointment over the abrupt end to his contract but accepted the decision, stating that he had given his all for the team. His contract, along with those of his management team, was originally set to expire in November this year.
Under Muliagatele’s leadership, the Manu Samoa Sevens team saw a sharp decline in performance, finishing second to last in the World Sevens Series. This poor showing forced the team to compete in the promotion-relegation tournament at the Madrid 7s in Spain, where they lost all their matches and subsequently lost their core team status.
In a social media interview following the tournament, Muliagatele claimed that four players deliberately sabotaged the team’s chances by playing to lose. However, he has not publicly named the players involved.
To regain their core status in the Sevens Series, Samoa must finish as the top non-core team in the Oceania 7s Championship in November. This would qualify them for the Challenger Series, where a top-four finish is required to earn a chance at promotion in the final tournament of next season’s World Sevens Series.
