Homesickness remedied only by Starlink-assisted video and phone calls was one hurdle the Highlanders under-13 Kaji rugby team had to leap over in preparing for the Vodafone Fiji Kaji/Kajiana Competition, which kicked off in Suva yesterday.
The Highlanders team is made up of young ruggers from Naitasiri and had camped over at Nakorosule District School to prepare themselves for the three-day meet.
Assistant coach Vilimone Sivaro shared some of the players had left their homes for the first time to prepare for the tournament.
“Some of them have left their homes for the first time and they are homesick and lonely but thankfully the school has access to Starlink so we were able to contact their parents on Viber and Messenger,” Sivaro said.
The team went into camp after week 14, the last week of school for term two and haven’t spent their school holidays elsewhere since.
Yesterday, the team had its first match against Ra and were defeated 0-7.
Despite their first result, he said the support from parents and guardians for the players had been an unceasing and overwhelming one.
“The parents and guardians have been lending their complete support as well through meals being provided every day,” he mentioned.
For the under-13 team, their aim in the Kaji/Kajiana competition is to enjoy their participation and the exposure they will get when facing other teams at large venues such as the HFC Bank Stadium, where they played in for the first time yesterday.
Part of their aim is to also ensure the players put on a compelling performance that will open the door for them to receive offers to attend secondary schools offering sporting scholarships for them.