RIO DE JANEIRO -- When rugby sevens was added to the Olympic program for Rio seven years ago, there was an almost instant clamor for gold in Fiji.Finally, the people of the Pacific had a realistic chance of winning an Olympic medal. The pressure has intensified ever since, and so has the focus of the players.Fiji sevens and rugby -- its more than just a fanatical aspect of Fijian life, Fiji coach Ben Ryan said, Its in their DNA.Nobody flinched after Fiji beat New Zealand 12-7 in the quarterfinal on Wednesday, setting up a semifinal against Japan. The winner plays either South Africa or Great Britain for the gold.Ryan laid out the teams sole aim for Rio -- and its not a modest one.Weve got one aim and thats to win gold medal, not silver or bronze, he said. Were No. 1 in the world, were not trying to be arrogant, were saying this is what we want. Silver will be a disappointment as bronze and fourth place.The Fijians have long been the entertainers in sevens rugby, admired for their preference to run the ball from deep inside their own territory and waving the ball around with one hand looking for any chance to unload it with an unorthodox pass.Some critics have questioned the Fijian players ability to handle pressure, particularly at the Olympics where the entire population of the Pacific island nation will be watching or listening to every moment of every game.Ryan said its a mistake to think his team cant handle the extra attention that comes with being favorites at the Olympics.He pointed out that the Fijians have won the Hong Kong Sevens title -- the most prestigious on the calendar -- more than any other nation. Theyve won the last two world series. He said they deal with pressure daily, more than any rugby sevens player in any part of the world.Were in the papers on the front and back pages -- every night were in the 6 oclock news, he said. Everybodys a household name. The pressure is on them in our bubble in the Pacific every single day.Thats not the same with any other team in this tournament, so theyre used to it. Theyre not getting pressure theyre not used to.Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is in Rio for the games and, just like most Fijians, isnt averse to offering his opinion on matters to do with rugby.I did say to him `there are 12 teams here, theres only one with their head of state here, Ryan said, But hes a great supporter. I can talk to him about (tactics) and hell give me some rugby knowledge. Its great. Its the peoples team.Ryan was coaching England when the International Olympic Committee made the decision to bring rugby back on board for the first time since 1924, but changed the format to sevens -- the faster, abbreviated version of the traditional 15-a-side game.He moved to Fiji in 2013 and began honing the raw materials that already existed -- big, fast men with an innate instinct for the game.The biggest problem Ryan faced initially was the exodus of talented stars leaving with ever-greater frequency to make their livings abroad.So he started putting together the nucleus of a squad around his captain Osea Kolinisau and planned to bolster it sometimes with returning players such as Josua the Fijian bus Tuisova, who is a star in the French competition.Ryan describes Kolinisau as a role model and religious man who is the cultural architect of the team, and he has come to the fore at the most important moments in wins over Brazil, Argentina, the United States and New Zealand.Kolinisau brings a reverence to the game which Ryan said he admires, and which is a big bond for the team in a deeply religious country.Spiritual is a really good way to sum up how the team operates, he said. The singing in the mornings, the signing in the evenings. The prayers.Its like theres two religions in Fiji, he said. On Sunday theres church and no sport, but every other day theres rugby. Franco Harris Youth Jersey . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. Diontae Johnson Jersey . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steelers-Franco-Harris-Jersey/ . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. 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In Norway at that moment, she was literally and figuratively a long way from her desired destination.The sheeps head was dinner; the dish a longstanding part of Norwegian cuisine.I dont know that I miss it, but it was kind of a neat experience, Short said of that culinary adventure she had while playing professionally overseas. Surprisingly, I kind of liked it.If the current moment is about where the national team goes next, it also encompasses how those who hope to answer that question got here.For the past two weeks, the national team searched for the pieces to complement the familiar and help solve puzzles posed by the 2019 World Cup and 2020 Olympics. A left foot here, poise on the ball there. With 11 players who were either entirely new to the pool or back in the fold after the briefest of cameos, the experiment marked the first wholesale roster expansion since Jill Ellis took over as coach in 2014.Without the chess pieces, Ellis wont have the team she believes she needs.Without people willing to commit years to the chase, she wouldnt have the luxury of choices.I feel like you never really feel fully prepared when youre coming in here, said first-time call-up Arin Gilliland in Utah. You always feel like you need to do something better before you get called in. So I didnt expect it, but I wanted it to happen.Standing next to her teammate, both with the NWSLs Chicago Red Stars and the national team, as Short discussed eating sheeps head, Gilliland listened with mouth agape in mock revulsion. There was far more agreement when it came to stepping on the training field for the United States, with Short vigorously voicing her consent when Gilliland found an apt metaphor.Its so high-tempo, its like the NWSL on three Starbucks coffees, Gilliland explained. But its great. It makes you think faster; it completely changes your game. And its not something you can adjust to in just one camp.It is daunting. Just not nearly as daunting as life can be.Gillilands mother, Letita, was diagnosed with cancer while her daughter was still in high school. Arin enrolled at Kentucky a semester early, in part to ensure the same mom who had helped her get ready for Halloween trick-or-treating dressed as Mia Hamm, would see her play for the Wildcats.?Letita saw those spring scrimmages and, with the same resolve thats evident in the way Arin plays soccer, saw enough games beyond that spring to witness her daughter grow into one of the best players in college soccer. She also saw a once rebellious young girl grow into the woman who would be honored, after Letita passed away in 2012, with the Honda Inspiration Award, given each year to only one female athlete across all NCAA divisions and sports.For Short, the path to the national team included not only the Scandinavian sojourn but three knee surgeries before it. A regular in the U.S. youth national team system, Short enjoyed a standout college career at Florida State and was the fifth pick in the 2013 NWSL draft. But the injuries ensured she never played a game in the leeague until this year, so her first professional season was spent not in the NWSL but in Avaldsnes, Norway.ddddddddddddhe culture was incredible. That was probably the best part, Short said. Everyone was so nice there. And they love football. Its everywhere. You see kids playing everywhere. So I think I was able to find a new passion for the game there and learn from everybody there. I was playing with people from all over the world. It was where I was meant to be at that time.The menu offerings might have made for the occasional comic moment, but Norway wasnt a lark. The sun sets for only a few hours a night during the Avaldsnes summer, but the twilight of Shorts career was fast approaching if she couldnt catch a break. For years, there had always been the opportunity for another game and another season. Suddenly those things were no longer givens.Almost had to put myself back together, Short, 26, explained. It was such a long journey to get there. ... I just needed to find myself again and find my confidence and get my fitness back and all these other things.Unlike the college coach she was at UCLA, Ellis isnt trying to get to know recruits and convince them to choose her program. Here the players are trying to convince her they deserve to stay. Once that is done, there might be more room to get to know the people. For now, Short isnt the product of her story; she is a rare left-footed option to play on the left side. Gilliland is a technically raw but athletically gifted prospect at outside back.Some of the newcomers left little doubt they will be back, Short is among them after a pair of starts in defensive capacities. The same goes for goalkeeper Jane Campbell, midfielder Andi Sullivan and forward Lynn Williams. Abby Dahlkemper, Ashley Hatch and Kealia Ohai played too sparingly to offer hints as to their fortunes, Ohais record-quick debut goal after 48 seconds on the field notwithstanding. Still others -- Gilliand, Danielle Colaprico, Shea Groom, Merritt Mathias -- trained throughout but didnt dress for either game.The reality is that for most of the newcomers, a contract with the national team does not await. Not at this moment. Maybe not ever. But they made it this far. And with Allie Long just the most recent example, after the 29-year-old claimed an Olympic starting spot following years in purgatory, that can be enough to keep some traveling an uncertain road.Gillilands purple-streaked hair is, in her own words, a hot mess. Shortly before an NWSL semifinal, she broke her necklace chain while engaged in some aggressive brushing. The pendant that went tumbling is an impression of her mothers thumbprint. Desperate to fix the memento before the playoff game, she said she commandeered one of the teams vans and made an emergency run to the store. It was in those minutes that her phone rang with the news from U.S. Soccer that she would be joining them in Utah.People can call it a coincidence, Gilliland said. But I kind of thought that was a sign from her telling me she was listening and knew what was going on -- and that she was happy. I got really emotional and called my dad, and we had a breakdown in the car, but it was great.The past week offered a glimpse of where the national team goes from here.It was also a reminder that here isnt anything to take for granted. ' ' '
