Etonia Rokotuisawa was the man of the hour for the Naitasiri team when he successfully kicked the penalty that cemented their 27-25 victory and defence of the Inkk Farebrother Trophy at Naluwai in Naitasiri yesterday.
The trophy was challenged by Suva in their round eight Skipper Cup fixture at the Naitasiri Secondary School ground in what had been an intense match until Rokotuisawa made the defining kick.
Prior to the kick, Suva had scored a converted try that gave them an edge.
A blunder by Suva granted the home side the opportunity to take a penalty and with the slim points margin, they chose to take the kick.
After the match, hundreds of Naitasiri fans stormed the field to congratulate the team and Rokotuisawa in particular was surrounded by many of them.
The Naitasiri team was boosted with the inclusion of Swire Shipping Fijian Drua players Motikiai Murray, Kavaia Tagivetaua, and for the Capital City challengers, they had Mesulame Dolokoto and Isoa Tuwai.
Present at yesterday’s intense clash were Fiji Rugby chairman John Sanday and acting chief executive Koli Sewabu, a former Naitasiri player himself.
Meanwhile, Naitasiri’s successful defence of the Inkk Farebrother trophy is the culmination of a concerted effort by the side when taking on dynamic provincial teams since round one, where they played against Malolo in Nausori.
While the Skipper Cup competition continues with round nine this week, the Inkk Farebrother trophy will sit with Naitasiri for another year.
