To play or not to play?
WITH the seasonal South Pacific rains sweeping right across the Fiji Islands last week, roads were flooded, bridges washed away and, understandably, many rugby grounds became unplayable.
Despite the low-lying land at Vinod Patel Park being prone to waterlogging, the Ba Rugby ground crew worked overtime to get the pitch ready to host the mighty Nadroga for the first time in nearly three decades.
“I was so proud of our small team,” BRU secretary Gaby Kautoga said.
“They persevered all week to ensure the venue was both compliant and presentable.
“We were slightly worried that the fans would stay back because of the weather, but they turned up in good numbers and really showed their vocal support for the players.
“We even heard stories of supporters wading across rivers in Magodro and Qaliyalatina on Friday then travelling down to Ba Town determined not to miss this spectacle.
“The rain hardly eased off in the lead-up to game day, so we had an industrial water pump running all day on Friday, all Saturday morning and throughout the two games. Without it, I’m sure we would have had to call the matches off.”
Though one corner of the ground had a layer of sitting water, the pump did its job to ensure the level stayed at a safe level.
The Fiji Pine Juniors lived up to their billing as a side to keep an eye on by holding Nadroga under 20s 18-18 thanks to six penalty goals in tricky conditions from winger Josteki Vale.
Vale had the chance to win the game with the last kick of the match, but his effort skimmed the outside of the post; and a draw was a very fair result.
At the senior level, the Vinod Patel Ba team got off to a terrific start against the Skipper Cup leaders, racing to an 8-0 lead. Nadroga’s experience later showed through as they scored two tries before the break to lead 12-8.
“I was very proud of the boys,” head coach Vilimoni Delasau said.
“We have an abundance of unknown rugby talent here in Ba, and we hope playing in the Skipper Cup will allow us to showcase it to the Drua and national team selectors.
“The team is in its second season together, and we’re probably 50 per cent towards where we want to be, how we want to play.
“Our job as management is to provide the environment to keep the players happy and relaxed so they can enjoy these moments and play to their potential,” the former Flying Fijian said.
The Stallions scored two early tries in the second half from broken play, but winger Bill Scott showed tremendous handling skills to pick up a long cut-out pass by his ankles from Meli Nalulu then dive over in the corner in one huge splash to earn Vinod Patel Ba a valuable bonus point in a 16-22 loss.
As soon as the referee blew the final whistle, the heavens truly opened wide and what had been heavy rain became a torrential downpour.
With the water rising, the fans, players and officials all headed off as quickly as they could, leaving the BRU ground staff to rush around and dismantle the marquees, gather the boundary ropes, sponsors signage, PA equipment and generator then lug it to the safety of higher ground.
“By 8pm, we were knee-deep in water as we carried the last marquee up to the road before taking it apart,” talatala Kautoga said.
“We had been praying that the weather would hold off just long enough for the rugby to be played, and it did just that.
“We are also very grateful to the new administrators at the Ba Town Council for taking a stronger interest in Ba Rugby and working to improve the ground surface and the goalposts.”
As for Nadroga, they had genuine concerns about their players getting home safely.
It was a three-hour drive back to Sigatoka in severe rain, and then the players needed to make their way back to their villages. That’s also an important consideration.
All of today’s Skipper Cup matches have been postponed until next week, meaning a possible backlog of fixtures that will need clearing before the Sullivan-Farebrother challenge matches begin on May 4.