LELEAN Memorial School is chasing the return of an old order.
Nasinu Secondary School is chasing something it has never quite managed to achieve.
And when the two meet this afternoon in the Vodafone Super Deans under-18 semi-final at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, history will be on the line.
For Lelean, the semi-final represents another step towards restoring the stature of a school that once dominated Fiji secondary school rugby.
The Davuilevu-based school was once the ultimate Deans dynasty — a name synonymous with success and a team every other school measured itself against.
Now, as Eastern Zone champions, Lelean has an opportunity to begin another era.
Its quarter-final performance suggested it has the ingredients to do just that.
Lelean dismantled Ratu Navula College 26-5 last Saturday, leading 10-0 at halftime before turning the screws after the break.
Their forwards dominated the breakdown and forced Ratu Navula into a series of penalties.
Fullback Ratu Apenisa Navikutu then kept his composure in difficult conditions, landing two crucial penalties before inside centre Joseva Atanj powered over late to put the result beyond doubt.
It was a performance that underlined Lelean’s credentials as a genuine title contender.
That is the challenge facing Nasinu.
But this is a team that has learned to live with pressure.
Nasinu wants to ensure this is the year its persistence finally produces silverware.
And neither side will be satisfied with simply making the final.
This afternoon, preparation, discipline and composure will be tested when the two sides collide with a place in the Deans final at stake.
The stakes could hardly be clearer.
For Lelean, the road back to dynasty continues.
For Nasinu, the road to redemption runs through Davuilevu’s old giants.
By the final whistle, one of those journeys will end.
The other will move one step closer to Deans glory.
