Support for Ba Tikina Championship which kicked-off last weekend has been outpouring, with Ba Industries Ltd (BIL) signing a ground-breaking sponsorship deal with the union on Wednesday.
The deal grants the union the naming rights for the men’s division of the Ba Tikina Championships for the next three years.
Vinod S Patel, BIL chairman, said the sponsorship signing was an important event in the 140-year-long history of rugby in Ba.
“From today onwards, Ba will be known as a crazy, energetic, young rugby town,” said Patel.
The arrangement sees the eight tikina teams compete for the Ba Industries Cup under the slogan “Tough as Nails”.
“The nails manufactured by Ba Industries are tough and strong and similarly the players who come from the Ba Rugby Union will be ‘Tough as Nails’.
“Now it is our responsibility to come together and cheer on with confidence for the Ba Rugby team and create more players like Pio Tuwai, Gabirieli Naborisi, Josua Tuisova, Waisea Nacuqu and of course the current coach Vilimoni Delasau,” Patel said.
Delasau acknowledged BIL for backing Ba rugby with this new tournament designed to lift the level of rugby in the province.
“We had this idea to start a tikina competition to bring in all the outer areas of the province and raise the rugby standards.
“But without the courageous step by BIL to join our vision, it would not have happened,” said Delasau.
The former Flying Fijian winger said the standard of rugby in the opening matches last weekend took everyone by surprise.
Round two of the Ba Tikina Championship will be played tomorrow at Vinod Patel Park with matches kicking-off at 9am.
