The Melrose Cup, which we last won in 2005, holds a special place in the hearts of Fijians. Our boys have sacrificed so much, and they shed tears, blood and sweat to get the prestigious Melrose Cup to our shores.
The 1997 win against South Africa 24-21 at our happy hunting So Kon Po Stadium sent shockwaves among the rugby fraternity.
On the other hand, after the emphatic win against South Africa, our team coached by the late Rupeni Ravonu and laced with star players such as Waisale Serevi, Rupeni Caucau, Vilimoni Delasau, Fero Lasagavibau, Sailosi Naiteqe, Taniela Qauqau, Senirusi Rauqe, Josefa Uluivuda, Jope Tuikabe and Marika Vunibaka bombed out of the 2001 RWC 7s in Argentina at the hands of Australia (22-14).
Fiji remained unbeaten in pool play, having defeated Argentina, South Korea, Russia, Ireland and Kenya and beat Canada in the quarter final (21-5).
New Zealand became the third team to win the Melrose Cup after the late Jonah Lomu inspired the Men in Black to thrash Australia 31-12. National 15s coach, Wayne Pivac, was given the honour of taking our 7s team to HK.
Pivac teamed up with Malakai Finau, Josateki Savou and Paul Feeney. I had a conversation with Viliame Satala, who was part of the winning team, and he shared that the journey to the 2005 RWC 7s was special and memorable as our team had assembled two weeks prior to the RWC 7s and travelled to HK- the home of 7s.
Satala shared that most of the players in Pivac’s team were above 30 years, and had met for a short duration, and had travelled from overseas. He said that in order to be part of the team, he teamed up with Marika Vunibaka for the Namoli 7s team at the Marist 7s tournament.
The 2005 RWC 7s team was a great Fijian team loaded with skills, experience power in Semisi Naevo, Waisale Serevi, ‘the Serevi clone’ William Ryder, cousins Viliame and Apolosi Satala, Sireli Bobo, Marika Vunibaka, Jone Daunivucu, Vilimone Delasau, Neumi Nanuku, Ifereimi Rawaqa and Nasoni Rokobiau.
The team’s unity and team bonding took them through. Fiji started strongly thumping Japan (with the likes of Tomohiro Yamaguchi, Kilive Naloli, Katoni Otukolo, Takashi Kikutani, Go Aruga, Hirotoki Onozawa, Nathan Ashley, Eiji Yamamoto, Kiyonori Tanaka, Yusuke Kobuki, Ryohei Miki and Yohei Shinomiya) 47-0, Portugal (with the likes of Vasco Uva, Diogo Mateus, Martim Tome, Antonio Pinto, Filipe Grenho, Miguel Morais, Pedro Carvalho, Frederico Sousa, Diogo Coutinho, Pedro Leal, Antonio Aguilar and Nuno Carvalho) 33-0, Canada (with the likes of Marco Di Girolamo, Ed Fairhurst, Christoph Strubin, Ryan Smith, Quentin Fyffe, Matt King, Derek Daypuck, Mike Danskin, Stirling Richmond, Brodie Henderson, Justin Coker and Dave Moonlight) 29-14, Hong Kong (with the likes of Paul Dingley, Paul Gaffney, Kris Marin, Warren Warner, Andrew Wong Kee, Andrew Chambers, Rowan Varty, Nigel D’Acre, Robert Naylor, Ricky Cheuk, Paul Morehu and Alexander Gibbs) 38-0 and Australia (with the likes of Luke Inman, Matt Hodgson, Keiran Massey, Tim Clark, James Morgan, Andrew Brown, Nick Reily, Josh Gamgee, James Su’a, Anthony Sauer, Shawn Mackay and Kacey Mitchell) 31-5.
Argentina was up in the quarters. With the likes of Juan Martin Berberian, Francisco Bosch, Lucas Borges, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Santiago Gomez Cora, Francisco Leonelli, Fernando Higgs, Lucio Lopez Fleming, Federico Martin Aramburu, Andres Romagnoli, Martin Schusterman and Federico Serra Miras, Argentina took Fiji to the wire.
In a nail biting affair, Argentina had a penalty and the opportunity to level scores, but they missed the kick and Bobo scored Fiji’s try for the 22-14 win. The Mike Friday coached England side with big names in Geoff Appleford, Tony Roques, Pat Sanderson, Peter Richards, Henry Paul, Neil Starling, Ugo Monye, Phil Dowson, Rob Thirlby, Ben Gollings, Simon Amor and Richard Haughton, was up in the semis.
Fiji let a 19-7 lead slip and allowed England back into the game, as the match went into extra-time 19-19 after Gollings missed the crucial conversion. High drama and emotion as Serevi delivered the killer blow, speeding past Gollings into the corner. Satala shared that Gollings, who played alongside him in Japan, talked about the missed conversion, which could have taken ‘The Roses’ into the final.
The heart-broken English lamented their unlucky stars as an unbeaten Fijian with so many weapons in their armoury went on to battle the undefeated, dynamic, inexperienced and disciplined All Blacks 7s with the likes of Edwin Cocker, George Naoupu, Tanerau Latimer, Josh Blackie, Amasio Raoma, Liam Messam, Tamati Ellison, Tafai Ioasa, Rudi Wulf, Orene Ai’i, Isaia Toeava and Lifeimi Mafi.
The final was a war between two past RWC 7s champions and two perfect teams who met at the RWC 7s for the first time. NZ was defending their title and playing without Ai’i and Ioasa. Craig Joubert was the ref, while Nigel Starmer Smith and Keith Quinn were in the commentary booth.
Emotions were high during the singing of the national anthems, and Satala shared Serevi’s words to the team, “we don’t let them play at their pace, but we let them play at our pace”.
Serevi encouraged the team to throw the ball around and slow the game. In the build-up to Fiji’s first try by Daunivucu, Nigel said, “Daunivucu gets through past Lifeimi Mafi. They have so many weapons in their armoury. Perfect start from Fiji!”
The second try was a team try and this is what Keith said, “It’s on for Liam Messam. Oh, an intercept. It’s all happening here. Serevi- Bill Satala. Has Wulf got him covered? Oh Latimer has come. But, Serevi the man himself. That’s Fijian rugby at its very best. And this man to score again in the final is the stuff of legends. It is becoming the tournament of legends. You will not see, greater skills, instinctive skills”.
Josh Blackie pulled one back for NZ, but the floodgates opened, as Naevo scored Fiji’s third try, and this is what the commentators said, “Daunivucu kicking it back towards his own line. But it’s a brilliantly executed kick. Satala – tremendous, wonderful try- Semisi Naevo. Well we are seeing 7s like it can only be seen in its finest expression. This team of so much instinctive skill”.
Fiji extended their lead in the classic Fijian style 17-7, as both teams went to the break.
Apolosi Satala got our fourth try and the commentators were excited and said, “But Fiji’s last win was as long ago as ‘99. Can they make amends here tonight? This is the big Naevo. Naevo now and Fiji on the long run with Vunibaka. Oh, and it’s been taken away by Apo Satala. Satala, and this might actually decide the outcome of this match. It stretches their lead by 15 points. I can just imagine what is happening in the little island of Fiji”.
Bobo buried NZ’s hopes with a try and commentators said, “Serevi clone. Now this is William Ryder. Look at this. Is this not the young Serevi? Twinkling feet, audacious play, excellent skills. Look at that, put it on his fingertips, finds the big man Satala. Sireli Bobo coming towards half way.
“If he gets into open space there’s trouble for NZ. Watch this man go. Sensational. We’re seeing something special. Sireli Bobo. And a thank you prayer. No doubt about that this very religious nation and only second to that kind of religion is their enthusiasm for rugby and this man is something special – Sireli Bobo”.
Fiji led 29-7. Wulf and Toeava scored two late tries for the 29-19 score, but the epic script of a great Fijian team in its finest expression had been written long ago and when Junior Serevi lifted the Melrose Cup, Serevi’s dream unfolded.
The title was back in the hands of the flamboyant and mesmeric Fijians. Serevi held aloft the Melrose Cup in the same stadium he had lifted eight years earlier. Fiji became the first nation to win the Melrose Cup twice. The lovely shot of Junior Serevi with the Melrose Cup was hailed by the stars.
The hymn “Au Rai Vei Kemuni” brought So Kon Po Stadium to a standstill, and the Melrose Cup was back in the hands of a religious nation whose enthusiasm for 7s rugby was regarded second to religion.
In his concluding remarks, Keith Quinn said, “the game is over. The Fijian players look to the heavens. They have won the game by 29-19. They are world champions again in HK. A wonderful performance to cap an incredible sequence play, Fiji”.
After the final, Serevi shared this: “HK is my home away from home, it’s where I started rugby and on the plane to HK I saw a vision: my little boy holding the Melrose Cup. And I told them to stay at home and watch on TV, but then I rang and said ‘you have to come I saw something on the plane, Junior holding the World Cup. It won’t happen if you don’t come’.
“So they came. Before we went out, I was talking to the boys in the tunnel – a lot of us senior players – and said that this was a great opportunity for us to do something for Fiji, that this was maybe the last time that we would be playing together that we didn’t want to let it slip away. I said, ‘whatever you’ve got in the tank, give it all. Just give it all”.
Indeed, beautiful and inspirational words by Serevi, and a wonderful win at So Kon Po, which would be cherished by the fans and players!
- RAJNESH LINGAM is the head of department of language at Nabua Secondary School. He is also a contributor to this newspaper. The views expressed are his and not of this newspaper or his employer.
