THE RISE OF MACUATA WOMEN’S RUGBY
Women’s team show wonders
THEY had no problems feasting on cups of tea and breadfruit because they were focused on winning the 2020 Vodafone Vanua Championship Women title.
These sacrifices certainly paid off for the Macuata women’s rugby team as four of their players have been named in the national women’s 15s squad.
Last year, this same team reached the semi-final of the Vanua Championship Women’s rugby and won $2000. But they didn’t receive this prizemoney and only God knows why.
Although they didn’t receive the prizemoney because of unfortunate circumstances they did not lose hope but remained committed in representing Macuata at the national rugby level.
Last weekend they defeated Serua by 34-24 in the final of the Vanua Championship in Sigatoka.
Team coach Motu Lalagavesi kept the 19-member squad at her house, fed them with whatever money she earned from selling fish parcel and the women’s rugby team management also helped out by asking for gifts from the business community in Labasa.
So their journey to successfully winning the national competition came with sacrifices and struggles.
“Our dinner for some evenings would be breadfruit and tea or fried cassava and tea and we were also blessed to have the support of our parents because they provided us with root crops, seafood and whatever food they could provide,” Lalagavesi said.
“Most of these girls are from rural Macuata and we didn’t have a camp prepared for us so we stayed at my house.”
These girls were not provided with any form of transport, bus fare or even an allowance to help them attend training.
“So we used to walk every day from my house in Siberia (about 30 minutes walk from town) to Subrail Park for our training program every afternoon,” Lalagavesi said.
“After our training in the evening, the girls would walk back home in the night and even if it rains we walk back in the rain and we considered all that as a sweet experience.
“One evening when we returned from training, the house was in total darkness because I didn’t pay for my EFL bill and it got disconnected.”
But this didn’t bother the girls because they knew there was a mission to achieve — to win the final of the Vanua Championship Women’s rugby.
Some mornings, the team would have water and pancake for breakfast because they lacked financial support.
“We didn’t give up and it’s just God who has seen us through those difficult days of preparation,” Lalagavesi said.
“We also organised our own fundraising events and we are forever grateful to all those who supported us including retired divisional fisheries officer North Joji Vakawaletabua who was always there for the team and our manager Maria Kaukimoce.
“She visited every business house in Labasa asking for gifts and we are grateful to the business community including Goodman Fielder who supported the Macuata women’s rugby team.”
The support from fans didn’t end in Labasa as the Macuata people who live and work in the West also flocked down to Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka with gifts of food and cash.