THE Metanoia under-12 rugby team from Marist Brothers Primary School in Suva are in high spirits on their tour of Australia.
It’s a rugby expedition that according to the president of the players parents’ association, Joeli Temo, has been a year in the making.
The team has been in Australia since Saturday, December 6.
The initial idea of sending them abroad to expand their horizons as young children and developing rugby players began once competition wrapped up when they were still in the under-11 grade last year.
“Last year, after the under-11s, the parents decided to take them on a trip to Australia, which is done now,” Temo explained.
First time in the skies
The team flew to Australia on a Fiji Airways Airbus A350-900 and Temo remarked how that itself was an eye-opening experience for most of them, who had never been on an aeroplane before.
“This was a good exposure for them because 99 per cent of these boys haven’t travelled overseas in their lives,” he mentioned.
“They’ve never even gone on a plane, and they flew on the (Airbus) A350 for the first time in their lives.
The boys tour Sydney
In their first week “Down Under”, the team began their itinerary visiting iconic landmarks in Sydney such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, the Taronga Zoo, the Sydney Olympic Park and other attractions in the Australian metropolis.
They left Sydney and headed south to Canberra on Tuesday.
Besides spending time seeing iconic landmarks, they wore their rugby boots and jerseys to challenge the Marist College Canberra team.
Baptism of fire for ruggers
Temo said the young ruggers from Toorak in Suva displayed a dominant performance, winning 19-17 over the home side in what he says was the team’s first foray into 15s rugby.
“These boys haven’t been beaten so far after all these years in rugby and this was the first time for them to play 15s rugby,” Temo mentioned.
“That was their first game ever (playing 15-a-side) and they still won the game against a very promising and strong Marist College team.
“Everybody is happy about all the achievements the boys have got so far.”
In that match against the home side, they played a match lasting 80 minutes, divided into four quarters of 20 minutes each.
Visiting the Brumbies academy
Many aspiring rugby players who have the opportunity to taste professional rugby at elite levels may only have the chance to walk into the ACT Brumbies Academy in Canberra if they ever signed on with the club.
However, the Marist ruggers were the exception: they were given the rare opportunity to tour the facility.
According to Temo, they toured the facility on Tuesday and had the chance to meet its senior men’s head coach and former Wallaby, Stephen Larkham and observed the Super Rugby Pacific team hard at work during training.
“We were so fortunate that we came and watched them train, we went through the whole complex. They showed us around to all the things that they have at the complex,” he recalled.
“We had a good time yesterday at the ACT Brumbies academy.”
They visited the facility at 1pm local time, observed the players in training until 3pm and had a chance to meet them and get autographs and pictures taken.
“We had a good time, and they (the U12 players) were given the ground to do their team run so that was one of the highlights of the tour yesterday at the (ACT) Brumbies complex.”
Familiar faces in a distant land
Parents and guardians flew across from Fiji with the Metanoia U12 rugby team to Australia and even there, they were looked after by the Fijian community in Sydney and presently, in Canberra.
Support systems are vital driving forces for people, groups and movements and a close devotion from systems as such help bring about results worthy of mention and wear off the lingering notion of homesickness that usually sets in when far away from those dearly cherished.
Temo said the support they received during their tour was commendable as he mentioned how it came from a variety of sources.
“We’re grateful at the moment and I’m so thankful to the Sydney community, the Fijian community in Sydney,” he highlighted.
“They’ve taken care of us so well in the past week and now we’re in Canberra.”
He acknowledged key figures such as Reverend Pauliasi Tabulutu and other Fijians in Canberra for reaching out to them and lending their support while in the Australian capital.
From Sydney, the support was also constant as he mentioned how Fijians living there had made the trip down to cheer on the young ruggers.
“We had a good support system here in Australia; in Sydney and in Canberra; the boys felt that.”
He also acknowledged the support from various Christian denominations there such as the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma.
“We give the glory to God because He was the one who provided everything.”
On behalf of the travelling team, he extended his thanks and gratitude to the parents and guardians, head teacher and staff of Marist Brothers Primary School and the Fiji Marist Brothers Trust Board.
The delegation will return to Fiji tomorrow.
The Metanoia and Marist College Canberra rugby teams pose for the camera. Picture: SUPPLIED
The Metanoia under-12 rugby team from Marist Brothers Primary School in Suva tuck into lunch at the ACT Brumbies Academy in Canberra, Australia. Picture: SUPPLIED
The young ruggers tuck into lunch from fast-food outlet KFC. Picture: SUPPLIED
The Metanoia under-12 and Marist College Canberra players gather in a huddle after their match in Canberra on Tuesday. Picture: SUPPLIED
