Fiji threw sevens match against NZ, coach claims

New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens said he was shocked by the claim. Photo / Nigel Marple

Fiji's sevens team lost their semifinal against New Zealand in Hong Kong last weekend because the game was sabotaged by a former Fiji player, the side's coach claims.

Josateki Savou said some of his key players were influenced by the former player not to play their best against New Zealand last weekend.

Fiji were thrashed 34-0 in the Hong Kong tournament NZ went on to win.

Savou said there was no way his team should have fared so badly with the calibre of players he had.

New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens told the Weekend Herald last night he was shocked by the claim.

"It's totally new to me. I was very surprised and disappointed," he said.

Tietjens said the allegations took some of the gloss of his team's big win.

"I think it takes some shine off my boys - they played really well. Fiji brought out their best team and if you look at the photographs of after the game they were really disappointed."

The New Zealand side - in Adelaide for the Australian leg of the world series in which they are unbeaten this season - had been playing well against Fiji this year, and had already notched up big wins against them.

Savou reportedly told the Fijian Rugby Union the former player's name but didn't publicly identify him.