What happened:

Tailevu recorded their first win in the 2015 Skipper Cup competition after thumping Ovalau 33-8 at Ratu Cakobau Park Two in Nausori yesterday.

Tailevu kicked off to a good start as they quickly gained territory which played off well resulting in a penalty kicked by Maika Baleinaloto, 3-0.back. In the 21st minute, Tailevu’s winger Jo Vici earned himself a yellow for a dangerous tackle reducing Tailevu to 14 men.

Tailevu took every opportunity to get points up on the board with another successful penalty kicked by Baleinaloto, 6-0.

Tailevu’s constant pressure on Ovalau’s defence finally paid off with a try right under the post by hooker Pauliasi Rokosuka, converted by Baleinaloto, 13-0.

With eight minutes to go till half time, Ovalau finally got points up on the board with a penalty kick from Mateo Leonard, 13-3.

Ovalau continued to give away possession with poor handling skills, giving Tailevu more opportunities to score.

In the 39th minute, Tailevu’s Epeli Ruivadra scored another try converted by Baleinaloto gave them a comfortable lead at half time.

Halftime: Tailevu 20-3 Ovalau

Tailevu continued to dominate with another try from Setareki Bituniyata two minutes into the second spell from a pick and drive, another successful conversion from Baleinaloto helped Tailevu extend their lead, 27-3.

In the 55th minute, Ovalau finally got one back with a try from Niko Volavola after spending almost five minutes in Tailevu’s half, 8-27.

It was a hard-hitting game but Ovalau could not retain possession with their constant mistakes in the basic aspects of the game.

In the 70th minute, Baleinaloto successfully converted two penalty kicks to bring the final score to 33-8.

Star turn: Tailevu’s Maika Baleinaloto was on point with his kicking contributing a total of 22 points.

Big play: Tailevu showed an incredible improvement on their defence and ability to keep possession and punishing Ovalau for their mistakes.

Comments

Tailevu coach Samisoni Baikeitoga: “We have really improved in this game and we owe that mainly to the Under 20 players that we have included in the squad.

“The next two games for us are very important and this is the kind of boost we needed. But we still have a long way to go and some development to do.

“We have identified some areas that we still need to work on, such as our set pieces and lineouts but we are confident we will get it right and hopefully in time before our next game.”

Ovalau coach Etuate Waqa: “Watching this game only proved to us that we still have a lot to do. Tailevu spent most of their time in our half and had more possession and though we lost, it was a learning experience for our boys. Most of them are young players and we are still developing them.”

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