Due to some bad weather both these games were postponed on Saturday the 15th but were soon rescheduled for midweek as everyone was eager to play them. First up were our girls playing netball. Their game against Navuti was fixed for Tuesday afternoon after sports coaching. As Wawa play in the same club as Nasesara, this meant the girls would be defending the TP Cup as Nasesara are current holders. The game got off to a flying start with both teams exchanging points on a regular basis and some great end to end plays. This was a real credit to our girls as some had never played netball before and had only two Fijians in the team, B and Una. With B on top scoring form the teams went in level at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter continued were the first left off and ended with just a point separating the sides. Our team then made the brave move of taking off one of the Fijian ladies and so fielded a team of 6 of our girls. This meant Polly, Lucy, Amy, Angela, Charlotte and Leader Alice would have to work extra hard to keep themselves in the game with Sarah waiting eagerly to come on as a replacement at any time. With some excellent defending and cross field play both teams again went in at the end of the third quarter on level terms. This left all to play for in the final quarter and with Una and Sarah back on fresh the team had high hopes of a win. Again the teams exchanged scores but unfortunately Navuti just managed to edge away and were a mere 4 points ahead at the final whistle. Obviously disappointed there was an instant shout for a rematch as our girls felt with a little more training and a game together under their belts they could overturn Navuti at the next time of asking. The game will be fixed for the following week and we will be sure to keep you updated on the result.
Next up on Wednesday afternoon it was the turn of the boys who were playing Nasauvuki in a challenge game before they get their shot at taking the TP Cup off Niubasaga in a few weeks. These two villages technically play together in the same club so this will give our guys a good insight for what to expect in the Cup game in a few weeks. Bertie was named captain for the day and took up his position as open side flanker with Johnny playing blindside flanker. They also had Leader Lulu playing number 8 and Leaders Ray and Ronnie took their positions in the backs, Ray playing 10 and Ronnie on the wing. It was a perfect evening for a game and a great crowd had turned out to support both sides. The game got off to a flying start but unfortunately it was Nasauvuki who got on the score sheet first with a penalty in an easy position. They also got the second score of the game and managed to squeeze through our defense for a try. Although this wasn’t converted it left our boys on the back foot from the start. This didn’t seem to faze them and after some great attacks we were soon on the score sheet too with a penalty from Johnny 15 minutes in. After that both teams managed to cancel each other out with some great defensive work for most of the rest of the half although Nasauvuki did manage to kick another penalty before the break which left our boys trailing 11 points to 3 at the break. After the restart Nasauvuki’s defense was really tested with wave after wave of attacks which soon paid off with a well deserved try. Although the conversion was missed it still left only 3 points between the sides. Johnny then kicked a further penalty but unfortunately Nasauvuki slotted home another couple of their own and edged away near the end of the game. With 10 minutes left our boys threw everything they had at them but just couldn’t manage to break through and so the game ended 21-11. It was a great first game for our boys which everyone truly enjoyed and with some big hits as is standard in Fijian rugby there are sure to be a few sore bodies in the morning. In keeping with the spirit of the game both teams then went to Navuti for dinner which was laid on by the village and a few bowls of grog and hop hop. A great night was had by everyone and some of the team partied until late into the night before walking home. Both these games have ensured that the double header in a couple of weeks is sure to be a great day for everyone involved.
Tags: fiji netball, fiji rugby, gap year, gap year rugby, gap year sports, gap year volunteering, volunteer sports
