THE Suva Grammar School under-17 side will have a lot to improve on as they prepare for the national quarter-finals of the Vodafone Deans competition next week.
It’s the word from their co-coach Epeli Osborne, following their 24-10 win over Marist Brothers High School in the grade’s final at the Southern Zone competition at Bidesi Park in Suva last Saturday.
“There’s always heaps of areas to brush up on, especially in schoolboy rugby. These boys have a lot to work on,” Osborne said.
He added it was part of a process of ensuring they performed to their best according to their age and their performance out on the field.
“There’s so much that we need to improve on, discipline being one big factor.”
Preparing for the competition this year saw half the side move over to the school’s under-18 team, which also beat Marist 15-13 in the final of the U18 grade.
In addition, four players left for greener pastures abroad on contracts in New Zealand and France.
With a gap needed to be filled and having done so with their win on Saturday, he acknowledged the remainder who stepped up to the call.
“The boys that have taken on the roles, filled the shoes, have done us great. They’ve done really well, I think it’s a testament to their resilience during the preparation phase; they’ve been working really hard,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the match against Marist, the team led 14-10 at halftime and maintained the lead by ensuring their discipline remained in the midst of the pressure.
“We gave away too many unnecessary penalties that kept them close to our goal line, that kept their tails up, that kept them having a go,” he recalled.
“Otherwise, that was basically the message. To keep the discipline because the ill-discipline was costing us, that’s how they put on those points.”
With their newfound success in the Southern Zone, he acknowledged the support of the team’s parents and guardians, who he described as the backbone of the team.
He acknowledged the work of his fellow co-coach Orisi Vukinavanua.
