The Tailevu rugby team’s preparation for the second round of the Skipper Cup is being boosted with the presence of former Flying Fijians utility back Timoci Nagusa who has been assisting the coaches ahead of the game against Lautoka at Churchill Park.
Tailevu head coach Solo Nute is aware of the experience Nagusa has and acknowledged his presence in assisting him in coaching.
“Having him to assist me and the trainers is a bonus because of his reputation the boys look up to him,” Nute said after a training session at Bidesi Ground in Suva yesterday.
“He will be assisting us before the travel restrictions are lifted and he heads back to France where he is based,” he said.
The Tailevu side is regarded as one of the underdogs of the Skipper Cup competition and Nute believes they’re on the pathway to grooming players to be the best in the country.
“We don’t have any star players in the team and most of these boys are from the village,” he said.
“We are following a pathway that will not only see that we make the semi-finals but also groom these players to be better players and assets for Fiji rugby in the future. Tailevu team manager Levani Matea expects his side to record its first win in the Skipper Cup this Saturday.
“We’ve told the boys the importance of winning this game because we don’t want to go back to where we were in 2017 and 2018.
“To do that we have to wake up early and start winning, aiming for the semi-finals and we expect to be in a better position than last year,” said Matea. Tailevu meets Lautoka on Saturday, 3pm at Churchill Park.
