Vodafone Fijian Under-20 captain Kaveni Dabenaise banks on his fellow players to deliver in the 2015 Oceania Rugby Junior Trophy tournament.

Fiji plays Vanuatu in the first game at 5pm on Friday.

“The team has been together for a while and we know each other well,” Dabenaise said.

“I am confident and trust them, we are basically a family now and we have all been working so hard.

“Tonga, PNG and Vanuatu will want to win and qualify, they didn’t waste money to come here and lose.

“So with that kind of mentality and pressure, we are expecting a very tough competition.

“I am very happy we have a good group of boys who are committed and support each other.”

The Naraiyawa, Namosi native said being chosen to captain was a pleasant surprise.

“Being captain is a real honour and a big achievement for me and I know that I won’t be doing it alone; I have a group of talented boys who will be backing me up.

Meanwhile, Vodafone Fijian U20 coach Salimoni Ravouvou is confident the team will deliver.

“We are happy with how the players are responding to training and we have a good bunch of players,” Ravouvou said.

Playing Vanuatu for the first time will be a difficult task for them but Ravouvou is pleading to the public for support.

“We haven’t seen Vanuatu play so we do not really know what we are up against. So I’m calling on fans to support our future rugby stars.

The opening game will be between Tonga and Papua New Guinea at 3pm.

Feedback:  justine.mannan@fijisun.com.fj