Tuifagalele tells of Suva’s winning gameplan
The Ram Sami Suva rugby team have retained the Skipper Cup for the third year in a row. The Capital City side beat Naitasiri 16-13 in the grand final at the ANZ Stadium, Suva, last night.
Speaking to SUNsports Suva team manager Nemani Tuifagalele said the boys stuck to the gameplan.
“Our gameplan was to keep the ball and they did just that,” he said.
“The players played their hearts out and were disciplined right throughout. “Congratulations to the boys for their hardwork and the win is dedicated to all our players who have lost their loved ones.”
What happened: It was an explosive start as Suva applied pressure by keeping the ball close to their big forwards who were leading the charge.
Suva got a penalty in the 11th minute which was converted by Enele Malele for a 3-0 lead.
Malele increased Suva’s lead to 6-0 in the 27th minute after kicking over his second penalty.
Naitasiri’s Etonia Rokotuisawa missed a penalty in the 32nd minute.
Naitasiri scored the first try to Necani Nawaqadau right on halftime with Rokotuisawa’s conversion going over. Halftime: Suva 6-7 Naitasiri
Suva regained the lead 9-7 early in the second half from a Malele penalty. Naitasiri took a 10-9 lead in the 60th minute from a Rokotuisawa penalty. Then disaster struck for Naitasiri when captain, Sireli Kaloucava was shown the red card for a dangerous tackle.
Suva quickly took advantage of the situation with a penalty try to increase their lead to 16-10. Rokotuisawa’s kicked over a penalty for a 16-13 win.
Star turn: Kaloucava’s red card gave Suva a new lease of life