Venturing into their first national quarter-final of the Vodafone Deans competition next week, Ratu Simione Matanitobua College (RSMC) have welcomed their entry onto the highly contested plateau.
They were defeated 14-27 by Nasinu Secondary School in the final of the under-19 grade at the Southern Zone competition at Buckhurst Park 1 in Laucala Bay, Suva last Saturday however as runner-up, they booked a ticket to the national quarter-finals.
Team captain Ratu Samuela Korodrau acknowledged the work of his teammates in helping push through a defiant Nasinu opposition.
“The team trained throughout the week to prepare for the game against Nasinu, it’s a well-known team and we (RSMC) have only been around for five yearsbut we didn’t expect to meet a team that has been competing this long,” Korodrau said.
Besides this, he said they are now setting their sights on their next assignment in the national quarter-finals.
“Even though it was a tough game, we would like to acknowledge the Lord for each of our lives and we are now preparing ourselves for the national quarter-finals and plan to show the game plan we have been taught,” he said.
In that game against Nasinu, the team trailed 0-27 at half-time and afterwards, the second half saw RSMC take a firm grip of the match and contest it in what became a defiant and thrilling contest of possession and dominance.
Korodrau shared the message relayed to them at the break which shifted the focus of him and his teammates, adding the massive crowd and atmosphere may have affected them.
“As we moved onto the second half, there was a reset of the game plan and everything else, and that’s what led to a proper progression in the second half,” he said.
Opened in January 2021 and having been part of the Southern Zone Deans competition, the school had not been able to advance higher up the ladder, however their newfound placing is something the school was grateful despite Saturday’s loss.
