St Thomas High welcomes prestigious rugby title
It was history in the making at Lautoka’s Saint Thomas High School (STHS) when the prestigious Women’s Rugby World Cup was brought to the school yesterday.
Members of the STHS Under-16 girls rugby team led by their coach, Lavenia Tokelau along with the school’s brass band welcomed the Cup in style.
The Cup is currently touring the Pacific before it returns to New Zealand in time for the Women’s World Cup, which is on October 8 to November 12.
Veteran Fiji Airways Fijiana Sevens utility player Raijeli Daveua is a former student of the school. She was a member of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games bronze medal winning team.
New Zealand Rugby Unit marketing manager, Nick Rowland told the students the Cup has travelled about 2000 kilometres the last couple of months.
“The Fijiana are now playing in the World Cup this year, this is the first time that they have qualified for the World Cup and they are among the top 12 teams in the world,” Rowlands said.
“For us to bring the trophy here and tour around the country is really special for us and we hope it unifies and inspires the next generation of players coming through.
“We want more women coming into the game, we want more people playing and if you can’t play, supporting as well is important.” STHS principal, Aiyaz Ali said introducing the female students of the school to rugby was a blessing in disguise.
“This would really motivate and inspire our girl’s rugby team and I am optimistic that one day STHS will be known internationally with talented players like Raijeli.”