Lomavata to make sevens series debut
DESPITE being newcomers to the Fiji Bitter Nahehevia 7s tournament, the Lomavata 7s side is adamant about making their presence felt at the two-day event at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka.
Sireli Naoba, one of the pioneers of the club, said the players were excited to be part of the tournament, with it being their first Fiji Bitter 7s Series tournament.
“This is our first Fiji Bitter competition and all the boys are excited to be competing,” he said.
“We know there will be bigger and stronger teams out there, but we are not coming to make the numbers.
“We are here because we want to make our presence known among these bigger teams.”
Naoba said the main purpose of forming the club was to get youths in their village engaged in something beneficial instead of other activities.
“In the past, rugby teams would also come and camp in our village when there was a tournament in Sigatoka and the boys here would always talk about forming our village team.”
The club is based in Nailaga Village in Nadroga.
“It was also formed to keep the young boys in the village occupied with something useful and constructive.”
He said the side had been training tirelessly over the past few weeks, looking forward to the competition since the beginning of the year.
“We couldn’t compete in the last 7s tournament that was held here in Sigatoka because of the entry fee. However, the entry fee for this tournament was more affordable for us so we decided to join.
“We have been preparing well, undergoing training for the past few weeks and we can’t wait for the tournament to kick start.”
Competition starts today.