THE McDonald’s Nadi captain Laisa Seru says her side’s dramatic 32-31 victory over Nasinu Women was a fitting tribute to one of the pioneers of women’s rugby in round six of the Subrails Marama Cup competition at Prince Charles Park in Nadi yesterday.
The win came in, ending a difficult week for the Nadi side following the passing of local club founder, the Lilian Amazon Women’s Rugby team and women’s rugby supporter Mrs Mereseini Koop.
Seru said the players entered the match determined to honour her contribution and finally break their run of back-to-back draws.
“First of all, glory to God for the victory out here today,” Seru said.
“It’s been a tough week for us as we farewelled one of the local club’s founders, Mrs Mereseini Koop.
“The girls came in and we weren’t satisfied with the back-to-back draws in our last two matches.”
Seru said the team’s attitude at training during the week played an important role in their ability to grind out the narrow victory against a determined Nasinu outfit.
“The girls turned up for training with the right mindset and we came out here with a win,” she said.
Nadi were pushed throughout the contest, with the one-point margin highlighting the intensity of the encounter. Seru praised the impact players who came off the bench in the second half, saying their defensive effort and attacking skills helped the side maintain its challenge.
“I think they did very well with the line speed of the defence and their hands,” she said.
However, the Nadi skipper admitted there were areas that needed improvement, particularly after moments of casual play inside their own territory.
“We had times where we were casual in our 22 zone, but they held their foot and we’re grateful that we came away with a win.”
Seru identified handling errors as another major concern heading into their next match.
“I think we had a lot of dropped balls today. We’re going to move on Monday, look at our hands, fix our passes and we’ll come back stronger.”
The victory was dedicated to Mrs Koop, whom Seru said played an important role in the development of women’s rugby in Nadi.
The captain also acknowledged Mr Koop for attending and continuing to support the players despite grieving, while thanking the Nadi supporters who turned out in numbers.
For Nadi, the victory provides renewed confidence as they look to build momentum in the competition.
