LOCAL rugby fans cannot be blamed if they became confused over the weekend wondering how national sevens star Semi Kunatani played for two teams in the Central Coast Sevens.
The name Semi Kunatani appeared for Yamacia as well as eventual winners Daveta in the tournament.
The fact is that there are two guys of the same name.
The Daveta winning try scorer in the final was Semi Kunatani Junior and is the cousin of the national sevens star.
They both come from Naveyago Village up the Sigatoka Valley. But Kunatani Junior works as a porter at the Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort and lives in Rukurukulevu village where he is married and it is the home base of the Davetalevu Rugby Club.
For sponsorship and other reasons the team name has been shortened to Daveta, which also makes it easier for radio and television commentators to announce.
Since the late eighties and early nineties the club has been consistently making overseas tours and winning tournaments both in sevens and tens in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
They are sponsored by a Singaporean businessman, a close rugby friend of Jone Lotu, the Daveta tour organiser.
Lotu holds the rank as Major in the Australian Army and is the son of the late Reverend Taniela Lotu, one of the Methodist Church missionaries who worked with the Aborigines in the late fifties and early sixties.
On overseas tours Daveta is in fact the Nadroga rugby development team in the off-season where young and upcoming players get their first taste of travelling on big planes and staying in five-star hotels.
The exposure has been proven to be a dynamic way of motivation for these players to aspire and make their way into the national team.
They were previously unknown but quickly became Nadroga and Fiji rugby household names.
The pioneers of this team are current Nadroga coaches, Esala Nauga, Jonetani Waqa and Samu Vunaki .
Others such as Peniasi Damu, Sirilo, and the late Aminiasi Naituyaga were all first exposed through Daveta overseas tours. This has happened through the years.
One of the recent success stories of Daveta is current Flying Fijian prop Peni Ravai.
Nauga has coach a couple of tours recently with Paula Biu as manager and since he is busy with the Army Sukuna Bowl team Major Lotu has taken over as coach as he always does.
One of the great motivating factors in winning is the team shares the winning prize among themselves.
The $20,000 Australian dollars is equivalent to $33,539 in Fijian currency and keeps the boys happy until their next tournament next week in Malaysia.
The final was quite evenly matched and Wellington were quite a ruthless and well-structured side.
But the in-form Nadroga players pinned them down with ball and all tackles.
Wellington, down 19-26 before the hooter, were threatening to score a converted try to draw level when replacement player Kunatani Jr took an inside pass and hammered the nail into the Kiwi coffin with a sizzling try.
In the weekend Daveta supporters in the village were treated to live television coverage through Bar TV and watched the whole tournament on a big screen at Rukurukulevu Village.
If you want to watch all the action replay it comes through the website www.centralcoastsevens.com.au/index.php/watchlive.
One of the first Kiwis to congratulate Daveta players was none other than New Zealand Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens.
