The Pacific Energy Ovalau 7s tournament quarterfinals are expected to be a tough one with Samoa proving to be too strong after day one at Nasau Park, Levuka.

Tournament organiser Seresio Druguta said though it has been a tough first day, having Samoa being part of the competition benefited the local teams a lot.

“All the games have gone according to our expectations and Samoa proved to be a difference,” Druguta said.

“Samoa had a clean sheet, they did not concede any points and they will obviously be a tough opponent to match.

“Despite that, however, the local teams have been blessed with this opportunity to play against Samoa and watch them and learn from them, so we are happy that Samoa is here.

“It was also good to see that Tauraga Gold was giving every team they faced a hard time and they are in the finals, so it will be an interesting matchup because Samoa will be playing against a few good teams.”

The tournament has not only provided a spectacle for those watching but has also been an eye opener to the organising committee to improve the tournament.

“Competition was really good and went  according to plan but that also showed that we must uplift the standard of the game,” he said.

“We bring this competition here to help the teams who cannot afford to go the mainland and take part in tournaments there, so there is always room for improvement.

“Tomorrow’s (today’s) quarterfinals will attract a lot of people and should be very entertaining.”

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