Remember

A THREE-DAY trip from the Lau Group to Suva turned out to be a life-changing experience for members of the Vonokula Moala 7s team last week.

The side was one of the newcomers at the 45th Fiji Bitter Sapphire Marist 7s tournament held at the ANZ Stadium in Suva.

Following a three-year plan to be part of the event, the side’s first test on their historic trip was just to absorb the pressure of the event.

For majority of players in the team this was their first experience of playing in Fiji’s biggest 7s tournament.

Team member Viliame Luvenitoga said the experience of taking part in the tournament was something that would be with them for the rest of their lives.

The islanders could not have asked for a better start as they faced the Fiji Shadow side in their opening game which they lost 0-41. They managed to win their next two games against NYB Rugby 17-0 and Bua K9 Brothers by 26-12.

Luvenitoga said they came to learn from the best in the game here in Suva.

“We had a three-year plan to make this trip and it was a boost to be given the opportunity to play against the best of Fiji’s players in the national squad.

“To play the Fiji Shadow 7s team is an opportunity not given to many local teams and this has given us a boost to come back next year,” he said.

“We only hear their names, look at their pictures and watch them on television and on our phones with replays of their past games.

“We were also fortunate to play on this turf (ANZ Stadium) compared with our grounds in the village,” the 27-year-old forward said.”

He said their relatives watched them play on television.

“They also heard our names announced in the radio and followed our progress on social media,” the Naroi villager said.

He said this 7s rugby trip to Suva had opened their eyes on what they would target when they come back next year.