WAKING up as early as 4.30am at the Holy Cross Primary School in Wairiki, Taveuni to start the day with prayers, training and other related aspects of their preparations, paid off for the Taveuni under-13 Kajiana rugby team for the Vodafone Fiji Kaji/Kajiana Rugby Competition, which took place last week.
The team lifted the winning prize as the grade’s plate champions after defeating Ra 19-10 in the final at the Buckhurst Park ground one on Thursday, September 4.
Preparation for competition
According to team manager Iliseva Mosimalua, it’s the culmination of a two week training process that began with the assembly of players from around Taveuni and Qamea Island.
“For this year’s Kajiana, we had 12 teams from Taveuni and Qamea and they all came together and formed the Taveuni team,” Mosimalua said.
“For the preparation, we have to wake up as early as 4.30am. We begin with the devotion and every day for the past two weeks; we had three sections of training.”
These three sections were held in the morning, after lunch and in the afternoon so that is the training programme that we have for the children.
In the two weeks they were preparing as a team at Wairiki for the three-day competition, the team strengthened their bond as a team and from it, they grew close in sharing their strengths and weaknesses together as a young team eager to take on the other competitors.
Mosimalua mentioned that on their journey from Taveuni to Viti Levu for the competition, the players were well-behaved.
“The best thing about this team is that they are disciplined, it’s easy for us to control them even when we came on the boat, when the boat was really full,” she recalled.
“But we were happy that we trained them, and they stick to the strict routine that we have trained them to – especially in their safety.
“But for the discipline and everything, it’s all good. It’s easy for us to manage.”
Assembling as a team and getting them competition ready was a unique preparation process for the side since they needed the consent of their parents to do so and besides that, the training regimen they had to follow devoutly.
These things were highlighted by the team manager as challenges faced.
“Firstly, being away from our families since it’s a school break. We have to be away from our families from two weeks,” she shared.
“And secondly, is the strict routine that we have to adhere to; the training programme and even the meals that we take every day.
“And thirdly, is the strict supervision we have for the children, since it’s a school break.”
Crunch time on the field
The Kaji/Kajiana Competition kicked off on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 at the HFC Bank Stadium, Buckhurst Park grounds one and two and Bidesi Park.
For the Kajiana under-13 team travelling from the Garden Island, Mosimalua said their progress in the first two days of competition from the pool to elimination stages was commendable.
They battled their various pool opponents and would have fallen short of ensuring they maintained their steady climb upwards, however they progressed onwards.
“Though we lost to the quarter-finals, the main quarter-finals but we regained. We learned our mistakes and that’s how we move forward into winning these plate finals,” Mosimalua said.
Support from stakeholders
Every rugby team at various levels is pushed onward by their coaches, management and the best minds assembled to ensure they finish their outing in any competition or match on a high note.
And for a team made up of young and enthusiastic girls such as the Taveuni Kajiana under-13 team, their biggest supporters were their parents and guardians.
“Parental support is 100 per cent. Not just here, most of them came all the way from Taveuni but during the camp, they were very supportive,” Mosimalua explained.
She said the parents and guardians had visited them in camp at Wairiki on a daily basis and ensured their food and other essential items were always abundant as they continued their preparations for the Kaji/Kajiana tournament.
“Even when we came, most of the parents were with us just to support the children” she said.
During their stay in the Capital, they were billeted at Annesley Methodist Infant School in Toorak and following their presentation of prizes at the podium at the HFC Bank Stadium, she was thankful for what the team had achieved.
“Now it’s over, the win has come. It’s exciting for them and for us as well.”
“It’s a job well done, the sacrifice has finally paid off.”
The faces of the plate victors were filled with joy and celebration behind the HFC Bank Stadium grandstand after they were presented their winning shield on a sunny Thursday afternoon.
Post-competition moves
While some immediately took to retreating to their homes and families after an intense preparation phase and wave of competition, for the team, it was about evaluating their performance on the drawing board.
“After the Kajiana tournament, we will sit and we will look at all the weaknesses that we have.
“And we will work on that to come back next year and to bring a good Kajiana team next year.”
Personal reflections
For Mosimalua, who is a school teacher based at Somosomo Primary School, managing a team of young girls on the cusp of adolescence and the start of a deep dive into the roaring teens was something she described as “nothing new.”
“For us as teachers, it’s our job every day to look after the kids. It’s nothing new.
“This is what we encounter every day from school and bringing the children like this, for us it’s normal because we are used to this.”
And for her, she acknowledged the backing of parents, guardians and the parish priest at the Holy Cross Parish for allowing them to be billeted at the school and to use the school facilities for training.
She also acknowledged all the head of primary schools in Taveuni for believing in her and other team officials to do the task set out for them.
