Nadroga Next For Naitasiri
Unbeaten Naitasiri face Nadroga in the next round of the Skipper Cup Premiership match on Saturday.
This was after the Highlanders defeated Jack’s Nadi 21-13 at Ratu Cakobau Park, Nausori in round three yesterday.
It will be a clash of the titans at Nausori next Saturday after Nadroga demolished Navosa 62-0 at Lawaqa Park, Sigatoka yesterday.
What happened: Nadi started strongly and rewarded with a penalty in the 19th minute.
The Naitasiri backline punched holes in the Nadi defence led by Kini Douglas resulting in the first try in the 40th minute scored by Filimoni Seru. He converted his own try, 7-3.
Halftime: Naitasiri 7-3 Nadi
It was all Highlanders in the second half as they dominated play. Naitasiri opened the second half with a try to wing Lepani Raiyale 14-3.
In the 61st minute Naitasiri scored from a wonderfully worked backline move that started from inside their half which resulted in right flanker Josaia Navualiku scoring which was converted by Douglas, 21-3.
Nadi scored their first try in the 69th minute to skipper Saqiwa Samuela, 21-8
In the 77th minute Nadi wing Jope Tavucuilagi scored a try, 21-13. Fulltime: Naitasiri 21-13 Nadi.
Star Turns: Jiuta Takubu forced his way back in the Jack’s Nadi starting line-up. He did not feature in Nadi’s loss to Navosa last week because of work commitments. His inclusion added power against a powerful Naitasiri outfit.
Comments: Naitasiri Rugby Union head coach Koli Sewabu; “We’re taking one game at a time. We started well but lost concentration midway in the first spell which allowed Nadi to hit back. We cannot allow that since we’ve got tougher matches coming up. We need to be focused for the whole 80 minutes. We need to stick to our game plan.” Nadi head coach Savenaca Aria said:
“We lost to a better side. We thought we had Naitasiri contained in the first half but their experience got the better of us.”