NADI rugby vice president Jeff Tamata credited belief and composure for inspiring their stunning second-half comeback to beat giants FMF Suva 34-29 in the second Skipper Cup quarter-final at Churchill Park yesterday.
Tamata said his message to the players at halftime was simple “Believe in yourselves, trust our pattern of play, trust our system, and the fans will take over.”
That belief was evident as Nadi overturned a 20-15 halftime deficit to secure their place in the semi-final.
Suva had a strong start in the first 40 minutes, led by the experienced fly-half Enele Malele, who nailed two penalties and two conversions. Suva’s tries came from Iosefo Namoce and Inoke Ravuiwasa to give them a 20-15 lead at the break. Nadi’s points came through tries from Kitione Salawa and Lemeki Bolayaca, while Ratu Aporosa Derenalagi added a penalty and a conversion.
Early in the second half, Nadi’s indiscipline saw Malele slot in three more penalties to stretch Suva’s lead. But the turning point came in the 64th minute when Swire Shipping Fijian Drua lock Sailosi Vukalokalo powered through for a try, converted by Laisenia Vakaloloma.
With renewed confidence and loud backing from their fans, Nadi’s attack went into overdrive. Bolayaca crossed for his second try in the 71st minute while Suva were a man down, before Tomasi Nawaqa sealed the win with another try seven minutes later, converted by Vakaloloma.
Tamata praised his team’s fighting spirit and the hard work of officials after their previous encounter against Suva.
“We thank God for the win. This week we focused on our spiritual preparation. I thank the boys for their effort and Suva for giving us a good game. The boys showed great fighting spirit at the end,” Tamata said.
The victory sends Nadi into the Skipper Cup semi-final, keeping their title hopes alive.
