When the Marist Brothers High School rugby season began last year, no one ever dreamt that their under-18 team would win the prestigious Vodafone Deans Trophy.
School principal Asish Dayal said they did not feel that they had a dream team at Kaunikuila.
“Not that they were not present. Not that they were not visible, but they are a humble bunch of boys who do not have an ego,” he said.
“They were just another rugby team. We call it a humble beginning. But one thing stood about this team, and that was their faith in God.
“They believed in God and this past couple of days, the head coach told me, you can be physically prepared, you can be mentally prepared, but you need spirituality.
“I also remember that every afternoon they would hop into a 30-year-old truck and quietly huddled into the truck and went off to Buckhust Ground for their training.
“No fuss, no complain. Just for Marist. This team has taught us a very simple lesson.
“You have a goal, work hard, and believe in your teachers.
“Accept the support of your parents and the old boys.
“Pray well to God and blessing will come your way. And here we are to celebrate that blessing.
“I pay homage to the parents of this under-18 team. They dug deep. They were united, but they were also a tenacious bunch of parents. They fought for their boys.
“What I liked about the journey was that they were confident to communicate for the betterment and the good of their sons.”
He paid homage to the Marist Rugby Club, especially the leadership of Lawrence Tikaram.
“They opened their door to our under-18 and allowed them to use the club facilities and we thank them.
“We are so blessed to have a wonderful community of people who are all sharing a common thread and that is we are all Marist.”
He acknowledged the late principal, Akuila Vute, who passed away last year.
