DEFENDING Skipper Cup champions Malolo were forced to settle for an 18–18 draw against Tailevu in Round 10 last Saturday, but head coach Rupeni Nasiga believes the hard-fought contest provided plenty of positives for his side.
At the Nakelo District School Grounds, Malolo battled their way to a share of the spoils, with Nasiga encouraged by the response from his players after a difficult run since Round 7.
Rather than focusing on the points dropped, Nasiga was pleased to see improvements in areas that had been exposed in their previous outing, particularly at set piece.
“I’m thankful for the effort from the players. We worked on the areas that were weak last week, particularly our set pieces, and today we managed to improve in those areas,” Nasiga said.
The lineout was one of the key areas under the microscope, with Malolo working to tighten their set-piece execution before the Round 10 clash.
Nasiga said the Tailevu match also helped expose other areas that still require attention as the defending champions look to build greater consistency.
“Lineouts and set pieces were some of our weaknesses in the last game. We also identified some other areas that need improvement, and we will work on those after this game as we prepare for the next challenge,” he said.
The 18–18 draw may not have delivered the result Malolo wanted, but the performance gave the champions another opportunity to measure their progress and identify what needs to improve.
Now, with Round 10 behind them, Malolo face another stern test against Naitasiri this weekend.
The fixture carries added significance after the two sides met in last season’s Skipper Cup final, but Nasiga wants his players to focus on taking the lessons from the Tailevu encounter into their next assignment.
For the defending champions, the challenge is to sharpen their set piece, improve their execution and build momentum as the competition moves into its closing stages.
