Bottom of the table Yasawa Saints toppled top of the table side USP Raiders 20-18 during the FNRLW Premiership at Churchill Park in Lautoka yesterday.
The Saints looked organised from the first whistle as they dominated the match, scoring three unanswered tries to Voha Ratubuli, Iliasapeci Molikula and Vatiseva Cavuru before Salote Sukakinamena scored a try for Raiders with only seconds left in the first half.
Saints led 16-6 at halftime.
Early in the second spell, the Raiders scored a converted try to reduce the score to only four points.
The Raiders fought hard in the last 25 minutes to break the Saints defence and were rewarded with a try four minutes from fulltime to 18-16.
However, a last ditch effort by Sereima Rauqe with seconds left on the clock saw the Saints walk away with a victory. Yasawa Saints coach Jonetani Nasau said they pushed the girls to bring our their best.
“We told them, that time was not the limit and they can still do a lot.
“It was just the spirit of the girls. We know USP is not a easy team and I am very proud of what the girls did today,” he said.
Raiders coach Asaeli Saravaki said the defeat was an eye opener.
“I told the girls that it is good to learn today and we believe the girls can do better next week and we have to pull up our preparations.
“We need to just work on few mistakes during the match in which we were penalised.”
Other results
Police Sharks 62-10 West Coast Storm, Yasawa Saints 20-18 USP Raiders. Vodafone Super 8 Nadera Panthers 28-18 Navy Albatross, Dragons 28-26 Raiders, Sharks 30-24 Rabbitohs
