Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
As the 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series concluded last weekend in London, the best of the best were rewarded for their spectacular performances all season.
Manu Samoa sevens co-captain Va’a Apelu Maliko was amongst the winners, playing a key factor for his team throughout the year. Maliko picked up three awards on the night including a bronze medal finish with his team at the London tournament.
It was a bittersweet moment for Maliko and Manu Samoa 7s, who had picked up a podium finish but narrowly missed on Olympics qualifications. Coming into the London tournament, Manu Samoa needed to win their semi final with Argentina to earn their Olympic spot.
Falling short in their fixture with the Argentinian side meant Australia edged past Samoa by two points for the spot. The loss to Argentina however was Samoas only loss of the tournament, with massive wins over hosts Great Britain and New Zealand.
Maliko picked up the “top try scorer” award with a whopping 50 tries across the 11 tournaments for 2023. He also took the DHL Impact Player award, which was given to the individual who delivered the most impact in four main categories; carries, offloads, line breaks and tackles.
The 24 year old racked up 41 breaks, 122 tackles, 55 offloads and 214 carries. His efforts also played an important part in their victorious win in Cape Town. Wrapping up his accolades was also his inclusion for this year’s World Series Dream Team, which is a team formed from the best players throughout the year.
Also receiving awards was All Blacks sevens stars Roderick Solo and Akuila Rokolisoa. Solo, who is of Samoan descent and Rokolisoa who is of Fijian heritage were both voted by fans for the hotstepper award. Rokolisoa was also inducted into the Sevens Series Dream Team alongside Maliko.
