LELEAN Memorial School will quickly shift its attention to this week’s national quarter-finals after claiming three titles at the Eastern Zone Secondary Schools Rugby Union finals at the HFC Bank National Stadium in Suva yesterday.
The Davuilevu-based school defeated traditional rivals Ratu Kadavulevu School in the under-15 final 13-8, the under-18 decider 29-17 and the under-19 final 23-17 to cap off a successful Eastern Zone campaign.
Assistant principal Ulaiyasi Vakatawakoula praised the commitment of the players and acknowledged the support that made the achievement possible.
“We are so happy for the victory today,” Vakatawakoula said.
“We have been preparing very well for this final. I think this is the best stage of the round. We have finished our zone and we thank RKS for giving us a good fight for the trophy today.”
Vakatawakoula also acknowledged everyone who had contributed to the success of the school’s rugby programme.
“I would like to thank the Lord for encouraging us and our stakeholders. I would like to thank the parents, teachers and old scholars. They worked very hard and for the kind support they have given. This victory belongs to all of them.”
Despite the celebrations, Vakatawakoula said the team would not get carried away, with a tougher challenge awaiting in the national quarter-finals.
“Yes, this will be a different ball game altogether. It’s another level of competition,” he said.
“We need to go back and look at our weaknesses and where to improve. We know the talent will be there, but we will try our very best. We will remain humble and be very appreciative of the assistance given by all our stakeholders who have been backing us from day one until today.”
With only a few days to prepare, Vakatawakoula said the focus was now firmly on the knockout stages.
“Now our focus is on the elimination rounds. It’s a do-or-die competition and it is very important for us to prepare well so that we can reach the finals.”
The three Eastern Zone titles have given Lelean valuable momentum as they chase national honours across multiple grades this week.
