THE Lautoka under-14 Kaji rugby team overcame a determined Serua team to win 3-0 in their Vodafone Fiji Kaji/Kajiana Rugby Competition match at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva yesterday.
The three-pointer, a penalty kick, made by Isikeli Temo, was all it took for Lautoka to take the lead and hold off the Serua brigade that came close to the try-line on numerous occasions.
For team coach Opeti Naio, he said their hard fought match against Serua was an indication of how all teams had prepared well for the Kaji/Kajiana competition this year.
“Whoever holds onto the ball firmly, whoever retains their possession will be the team that will come out victorious. They are all formidable teams,” Naio said after the match.
The under-14 Kaji rugby team from the Sugar City is made up of players from more than 20 schools in the district.
For the team, they had to overcome changing weather conditions during their training sessions in the West to prepare them adequately for the three-day meet.
“The players had to endure the scorching heat, the pouring rain because this is the weather here in Suva,” he revealed.
“We are thankful that in Lautoka, we were able to train under similar conditions.”
Despite this, he added the team had no excuse in their aim to emerge with an ambitious pursuit for victory.
“When we come to play, we cannot make excuses about the weather, we cannot make excuses about anything else,” he emphasised.
“Whatever weather conditions we face, we will just have to face it.”
He mentioned his team had a lot to work on however a special concentration on refining the basics was an area he said the team needed to focus on greatly.
The Kaji/Kajiana competition ends today.
