Book Review: 'Sevens Heaven' by Ben Ryan

This is a book about Ben Ryan’s career as Head Coach of Fiji sevens, leading to the Gold Medal in the first ever Olympic Sevens in Rio in 2016.

But it is about much more than that.  It is the story of an impetuous decision to take on a job of rich potential, but endless short term frustration in a Third World environment.  This background is part of the book’s fascination. 

Implicit throughout is the contrast with Ryan’s previous role as Head Coach of England, the world’s most richly resourced union, though one mired in bureaucracy.  The free spiritedness of the Fijian players sits alongside the careful preparation of the English, but the chaotic nature of the organisation of the game in the Pacific brings frequent frustrations.  Penury is a constant theme, but overcoming it is a significant part of the story.  This theme reaches its ultimate poetic conclusion, as the islanders blow away the GB team in the Olympic Final.

The story is one of player identification and preparation.  The challenge is to find the best players across the wide archipelago which is Fiji, and then to educate them into routines of eating, hygiene and preparation to harness their natural athleticism.  The coaching story is one of finding enough framework and discipline without restricting the free flowing game which is part of the islands’ heritage. 

It is not a straightforward journey of inevitable triumph.  Resentment of an overseas coach, an uneasy relationship with an unelected Prime Minister, player resistance to a culture of fitness and preparation and the devastation of a cyclone all create challenges along the way.

Laced throughout the book are personal demons of the author.  It traces the contrasting fates of a childhood friendship, the steady decay of his marriage and his journey from childhood, through education and into a career as a coach.

Finally, it all comes together with the happy ending.  If it wasn't true, it would be too improbable.  The final with the best resourced team in the world, in which the underdogs didn't just win, but re-defined the way in which the game could be played.  In the author’s words, “I expected excellence. I got perfection”.

It is the greatest sevens story ever told.

Reviewed by: Neil Rollings, June 2018