Marist Convent Primary School in Lami is making the most of its debut season in the Suva Kaji Rugby competition after defending the Challenge Cup with a 5-0 win over Saint Agnes Primary School in round three at the St. Marcellin Primary School grounds yesterday.
For coach Sepesa Curuki, seeing his under-13 boys adapt so quickly to top-level competition is something he describes as special.
“This is the first time for us to take part in the Suva Kaji Rugby, maybe after 20-plus years,” Curuki said.
“We used to play in Lami Kaji Rugby when there were seven schools taking part, but now that’s no longer running. So I asked our headteacher if we could join Suva Kaji this year, and it has really worked out well.”
The side had already created a stir last week by upsetting Marist Brothers Primary School to take the cup.
In yesterday’s match, both teams went into halftime locked at 0-0 before Marist Convent finally broke through.
Curuki said he reminded the players at the break to stay focused and back themselves.
“I just told them to fix some areas,” he said.
“When we were taking the ball, the boys were standing still and waiting. I told them to run onto the ball and meet it halfway, to enjoy the game and stick to the game plan. They did exactly that, and I am really happy with the performance.”
He thanked the parents and supporters for standing by the team, adding that their backing has lifted the boys’ confidence.
With the next game against Veiuto Primary looming, Curuki said the team will keep working to improve.
“We’ll go back and discuss whatever weaknesses we had today and fix them,” he said.
“Our main goal this season is to win the U14 trophy and for at least five or ten of the boys to be selected into the Suva Kaji Rugby team.”
For a school making its return to major rugby after two decades, the early results are already promising.
