Mothers are the biggest driving forces of young rugby players that play in the Deans competition and may either celebrate with or console their sons and daughters with every win or loss.
But for Manoa Raqio of Tailevu North College after their 10-15 defeat to Nasinu Secondary School in the under-19 Deans final last Saturday, his mother, Ulamila Vucago was not there to thank him.
She had passed away in her sleep on the morning of Monday, August 18 and word of her passing reached Raqio while he was in school.
Her last words to him on Sunday, before her passing, were for him to work hard in school and wished him the best for the week ahead.
Raqio, in the 70-minute thrilling finale against Nasinu, had given his all on the field as a flanker with the knowledge of playing not just for his school but to honour the memory of the woman who carried him in her womb and in the final years of her life, had raised him single-handedly.
Vucago’s support knew no bounds
At every match her son would play in, whether it was the Deans Eastern Zone competition or even the national quarter-finals in the West to the semi-finals in Suva, Raqio’s late mother would turn up to cheer him on.
But doing so meant defying the limitations that would have hindered most but not a mother who was looking out and cheering on her son.
Her level of mobility made her turn to using a wheelchair to move around, but it did not deter her from wanting to witness her son do his best on the field.
Raqio recalled how her mother would turn up to watch him play when he was part of the school’s under-18 team.
“When I started playing in the under-18 team last year, she would not miss a single match of mine,” he recalled.
Her commitment to showing her support continued into this year, when she made the journey from home to watch him play all the way in the Western Division for the Deans quarter-finals.
The late Vucago’s support for her son and the school was timely, as they won 18-17 over Naitasiri Secondary School.
“Even when we went to Nadi for the quarter-finals the week before last, she would always be there despite being an amputee and moving around in a wheelchair.”
These circumstances did not shake him as he thanked the Lord for the blessings on his life such as his mother and for the future that lay ahead.
Following the loss of his mother, Raqio now lives with his aunt, since his father passed away when he was in year seven.
Tender love and care
When Raqio was young and the only child, he was raised by his grandparents.
In year seven, things took a turn when his grandfather passed away and in losing a patriarchal figure as him, his father and namesake stepped in.
However, two months after his grandfather’s passing, his father also passed away.
This meant that for his journey into adolescence and secondary school, he was raised up in this time by his grandmother.
The years passed and Raqio’s grandmother stood by him as he underwent the various stages of life when a young boy grows from a teenager to eventually reaching the boundaries of adulthood.
Last year, when he and his under-18 teammates had just entered into camp and began training for the Deans competition, his grandmother passed away and he had now come under the care of his mother.
With a profound loss that was difficult for him to bear, he soldiered on but he did not expect to lose his mother the year after his mother passed away.
“And this is right in the middle of competition, I just did not expect to lose my mother this way,” Raqio said.
Despite her passing, he was grateful to the Lord for her life and for being raised in a home where his faith in Him was strengthened immensely by the devout adoration of the Lord in all things.
“Their prayer of me and their word of advice to me was to always place the Lord first in all things, always, regardless of what the circumstances were,” he shared.
Secondary school journey
Raqio has been a part of Tailevu North College ever since he was in year nine (form three).
Since year 11 (form five), his subject combination for the latter part of secondary school are applied technology, technical drawing, agriculture studies along with English and mathematics.
Yearning for their presence
After the match on Saturday, his under-19 teammates were surrounded with smiles, hugs, kisses and comforting words of reassurance and gratitude delivered by their parents and guardians.
But for him, all he wanted at that moment was to see his parents and grandparents doing the same for him.
“I had always dreamed of seeing my parents and grandparents here to show their support for all the years I had been playing rugby,” he said.
After being interviewed by Times Sports, his aunt, Venina Niumitoga, embraced him in a tight hug accompanied by the shedding of tears from the both of them.
His relatives, all dressed in red round neck t-shirts complete with images of him and his mother branded onto their shirts, shed tears unashamedly at what could have been the chance for his late mother to see him play his heart out on the field.
With a deep longing for the presence of the key figures that shaped his life, he could only accept what had happened and thank the Lord for their lives.
“We cannot stop or avoid the plans set out by the Lord for us; however we can only continue to praise Him for all the things He has done,” he said.
Support from parents and students
He shared how many of the parents and guardians of the school and the team were moved by her passing.
“Many of the parents were moved by the news of her passing since they observed how no one could compare to how my mother, an amputee, could still turn up to the games and cheer me on,” he said.
Raqio acknowledged all of them for their continued support of him, especially in the final week of the Deans competition last week.
Where to from here
Losing parents and grandparents might be enough for some to drive themselves over the edge and turn to undesirable coping mechanisms, it is not the case for Raqio.
For him, he said he has left it all to the Lord to forge a path on which he could progress on and to not depend on others.
“My journey from here is only possible through the grace of God where I cannot depend on others and only God can make it happen,” he mentioned.
“All those big doors that have been firmly shut can only be opened by God to my life.”