Suva Grammar School may have won the Deans under-15 trophy after a 27-24 defeat of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School, but Apisalome Saukuru’s performance for the latter caught the eyes of many.
Saukuru, playing at fly-half, danced his way around the Grammar defence during the 70-minute showdown, helping set up vital set pieces which extended MGM’s side of the scoreboard.
Donning the blue and orange school jersey with white pants and completed with white boots and socks, a black head-gear labelled ‘SBT’ on the front and bandages plastered on his hands and above his left knee, Saukuru was out to make an impactful statement.
Whenever he had the opportunity to obtain possession of the ball, he would attempt to run the entire length of the field and if caught up by Grammar defenders, fight his way through with the support of his teammates.
Following the match, Times Sports caught up with Saukuru and his mother Ateca Saukuru, who spoke of the long rugby journey that began at the young age of three.
Saukuru’s young ambition
Apisalome is the second-youngest of five siblings: two boys and three girls.
He attended Namaka Public School in year one, Sabeto District School for years two and three and then moved to Lautoka where he attended Delana Methodist Primary School for years four and five.
In year six till year eight, he attended Veiuto Primary School in Suva since his father was transferred to the Capital City for work.
For year nine, he was offered a place at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School in Vatuwaqa, where he has been since.
Saukuru’s mother Ateca recalls seeing young Apisalome cast a determined gaze at any two trees that grew close together any time he would have a rugby ball in his hands.
The mission: to kick the ball through his impression of a rugby goalpost.
“When he was only three or four years old, each time he would touch the ball, he would find any two trees that were close together,” his mother recalled.
These episodes did not go unnoticed by his mother since it evoked the characteristics of a fly-half, the very position he played in for MGM in this year’s Deans competition.
“When the older ones would play, you’d see him playing alongside them.”
Such was his foray into the game of rugby that it warranted the attention of his father who was playing rugby league at the time, according to Saukuru’s mother.
And what began in those days did not stop, as he would go on to Veiuto Primary School in Suva and help the school make a mark in the Kaji competitions.
“When he was in year four in Veiuto, they used to win in the under-10, 11, 12 and 13 (grades) and were thankful that he was given a scholarship at MGM,” Saukuru mentioned.
A sporting family
While some may regard Saukuru’s performance on the field last Saturday as a hidden gem that had unearthed itself and the potential it carried, for his mother, it came as no surprise.
She recalled how in year four, Apisalome’s passion to pursue the sport further developed into a serious pursuit and noting this, his parents supported him in doing so.
“The family that Apisalome comes from is a sporting family, they would play in Nadi and some of them are now playing for teams in New Zealand, his uncles, and his sporting abilities are such that it runs in the family,” she said.
As his talent continues to flourish as he goes through secondary school, she said the gratitude and praise for the gifts he embodied was not theirs, but to the Lord alone.
“We are thankful to the Lord for the talent He has given him, and I know he has been using it very well,” she added.
“We only told him that if he knew that he would progress well there, then he could pursue it to the best of his ability.
“Whenever he would run or play, then he should give it his all and do his best.
“We also never took his studies lightly, when it’s time to learn in school, then he should do so but if it’s time to play, then he should do his best as well.”
Respect for his elders
He may be a player that seeks possession of the ball and helps dictate its flow on the field, but at home, respect for his elders is a guiding principle for him.
Ateca, his mother, said when Apisalome is at home, his quiet and respectful demeanour would only be changed if he was spoken to by his parents.
“We have always seen how he is very quiet at home, we usually do not know what are the things he wants,” she explained.
“But whenever we ask him, that’s when he would open up and share his thoughts with us.”
She highlighted how gospel music would be heard playing from his room after a match, something she says has helped him to relax, reflect and unwind from the 70-minute spectacles battled out in the heat, rain and at times, the mud.
Deans journey, a mother’s point-of-view
For Apisalome’s mother, she described their journey throughout this year’s Deans competition as a testament of the strength present in their faith in God, the power of prayer and the reaping of fruits for the hard work they put in.
MGM’s under-15 team booked their spot in the finals after a 15-12 defeat of Queen Victoria School in the semi-finals on Saturday, August 16, 2025 at Buckhurst Park.
She said seeing QVS’ penalty kick not go through made her and other parents overjoyed, as shown in how they stormed into the field at the sound of the full-time whistle.
In their loss to Suva Grammar last Saturday, he was reminded by his parents to not consider this as the end of the road.
“We thanked him and told him that this was not the end and that there are more opportunities in the future in which the team could showcase itself even better,” she said.
Scouted for the next chapter
Apisalome’s captivating performance on the field was seen not just by thousands of spectators at the HFC Bank Stadium and viewers watching from home, it was also seen by Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs’ Pathways and
Development professional Craig Wilson.
The Bulldogs are part of the NRL.
Wilson was present to see Apisalome’s progress and had scouted him and three other players in the MGM team.
Apisalome’s mother shared how he came to be a part of it and what lay ahead for him.
“He was chosen from the league games in Lautoka, and we have now left it to the Lord to make His move,” she explained.
“But ‘Pisa (Apisalome) has shown his eagerness to go overseas to showcase the talent the Lord has given him.”
Parental support; a mother’s love
His mother mentioned how she and his father had always spoken to him of their journey through various points in their lives and how his talent would be the catalyst for igniting a spark of flair whenever he took onto the field.
“We have always spoken to him and reminded him to look back on his humble beginnings, where he was brought up, his village and that whenever he plays, he is representing all the villages he is a part of and the family name wherever he goes,” she recalled.
Their words to Apisalome are better accompanied with the images of sullen faces and never-ending tears by he and his teammates following their 24-27 loss to Suva Grammar last Saturday.
Parents and guardians shed tears at Buckhurst Park after the match, welcoming their children and thanking them for putting on a fight from which they never backed down from until the final whistle.
In speaking to Times Sports, his mother tried to hold back tears in recalling his childhood and how his progress through the years made her reflect on the journey they shared as a family.
“We used to live in Nadi, in Sabeto, and after that, we moved to Lautoka,” she highlighted.
“When I look at him, I get reminded of how he has lived through all those times we shared and he knows of the struggles we faced and I know that through this, he has the ability to make something worthwhile out of everything he has faced and gone through.”