Osea Kolinisau

Podcast 15 | Ben talks with his old friend Olympic gold medalist and former Fijian Rugby Sevens captain, Osea Kolinisau.

About this episode

When You Don’t Have Much, You Help Each Other Out

Former Fiji sevens captain and my great friend, Osea Kolinisau, or Oscar, as he is known in rugby, is this week’s star guest. Flag bearer for Fiji at the Rio Olympics, when Fiji won their countries first ever Olympic gold medal, he’s one of the most successful sevens players in the history of the game. Our relationship was more than just coach and captain.

He helped navigate me in my early days in the pacific and we relied on each other on and off the training field. We really dig into that relationship between coach and player and trust and belonging are wrapped up in all of that. Towards the end of our conversation you’ll hear Sonny, Oscar’s young son in the background, which re-inforced what we had spoken about earlier in the podcast about the importance of family and we begin in a similar vein with Osea telling me how a crucial moment happened early in career that really defined everything that followed.

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Osea Kolinisau is a proud Fijian born in the capital Suva in 1985. He started rugby while at school, playing for local teams, the Covenant Brother Rugby Club and the Servei Selects. He catapulted to the world stage when he played for Fiji in the 2008 Dubai Sevens tournament. His formidable talent led him to captain the Fijian side in the 2013-14 Sevens World Series, where they came third.

Kolinisau is the most capped player for the Fijian Sevens team, and it was under his captaincy, that the team won in both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 World Series tournaments. Selected to captain the Fijian Rugby Sevens team in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he was also given the honour of being the flag bearer for the Fijian team at the opening ceremony. He guided his squad to victory, winning Gold and Fiji’s first-ever Olympic medal. Known in rugby circles as the magician, Kolinisau became an icon in his native Fiji. To mark his stellar achievements, he was awarded the Officer of the Order of Fiji and immortalised on a Fijian 7 dollar banknote.

His coach, while captaining the Fijian team, was none other than Ben Ryan. Ben worked closely with Kolinisau for many years and helped him to progress his professional rugby career. Kolinisau’s father was a pastor, and he is vocal about his strong Christian faith. He believes that he must share the skills given to him by God as a form of worship. He is married to Mere Tavu Fa, and they are parents to a son. Kolinisau has most recently played Major League Rugby in the U.S. He started with the Houston SaberCats from 2018-2020 and then moved to Old Glory MC in 2021.