A NEW champion will be crowned in the 2025 Vodafone Deans U18 Championship after Nasinu Secondary School knocked out defending champions Queen Victoria School in a thrilling quarter-final at Churchill Park yesterday.
The match ended 20-20 at full time, but under Fiji Secondary School Rugby Union rules, the team that scores first and records the most tries is awarded the win.
Nasinu crossed for three tries to QVS’s two, sealing their place in the semi-finals.
Quarter-final action across the U14 to U19 grades was played out at Prince Charles Park and Churchill Park, with both venues packed with colourful and vocal supporters backing their schools.
Results:
U14 – QVS 44-0 Nasinu, Marist 7-6 RKS, Grammar 41-8 SVC, LMS 17-7 Dudley
U15 – RKS 27-19 Marist, QVS 52-3 Natabua, MGM 34-5 Lelean, SGS 17-13 Ratu Navula
U16 – Grammar 46-3 Holy Cross, RKS 15-12 Natabua, Marist 6-5 Ba Methodist, Gospel 13-10 QVS
U17 – RKS 29-13 Nasinu, LMS 13-11 Natabua, Ba Pro 21-16 Marist, Grammar 41-12 Gurunanak Khalsa College
U19 – QVS 32-25 Ba Pro, Nasinu 25-15 RKS, Tailevu North 18-17 Naitasiri Secondary, Ratu Navula 30-24 Ratu Simione
U18 – RKS 34-7 Cuvu College, Grammar 27-24 Lelean, Natabua 20-17 Marist, Nasinu 20-20 QVS (Nasinu awarded win on tries scored)
The semi-finals will be played next Saturday, promising another round of high-intensity clashes as teams fight for a place in the finals.