Ovalau’s under-13 boys Kaji side was one of the teams participating in the now-completed Vodafone National Kaji & Kajiana Championship 2024.
Sikeli Senibulu, team coach, expressed his delight at their inclusion and shared their preparations in the lead-up to the three-day tournament.
Preparing a young rugby team is no easy feat, as Senibulu mentioned, when describing the training preparation the team underwent.
“Personally (speaking), it’s a hard task for me as teaching the students is a very challenging thing and while they are children, I just came down to their level in order to upgrade the talent they have,” he said.
While the team was made up of some students living in the semi-urban areas and a handful from the rural areas, he noted the challenge of having to gather the entire team without infringing the rule of not crossing into the boundaries of other districts as well.
“The only challenging thing was making them come as a team, as we all know we are not allowed to go into other schools.
“I’m grateful to the education officers for allowing the students to attach themselves to a particular school so that they can work as a team.”
He reiterated they were still children when asked how the pace of competition had been against the various opponents they played against.
“They are still children, we need to scaffold all the knowledge and skills they have and that is the work of the teachers (coaches) in helping achieve their target,” Senibulu emphasised.
He also thanked parents and guardians for their support during the tournament.
