Teams Battle For Survival
The 2019 Skipper Cup Premiership should continue to live up to its billing as a hotly contested competition as only the fittest will survive in the end.
There will never be a dull moment week in week out for the eight teams who will play seven rounds and only six will survive for 2020
What will make this competition interesting in 2019 is this is a Rugby World Cup year.
We will be seeing some of our Fiji Airways Flying Fijians who will be playing at the RWC in September in Japan every Saturday and their inclusion should lift the Skipper Cup Premiership to another level.
Hooker Mesulame Dolokoto and prop Eroni Mawi will feature for Suva while halfback Frank Lomani will likely to feature for Naitasiri .
The second round of the Skipper Cup Premiership competition resumes tomorrow,
It will be a battle to stay in the race for teams who lost in the first round and a push for another win for others.
Nadroga, Namosi, Rewa and Tailevu all lost their first round games and must bounce back while Nadi, Northland, Naitasiri and Suva have a chance of going for the second win
Mesulame Dolakoto. Photo: Ronald Kumar
The feature match of the round will be a showdown at the ANZ Stadium between defending champions Suva and Nadroga.
With only rounds to play for the eight teams, Nadroga must win after recording the biggest loss (40-18) to Nadi in the first round.
Once defending the Skipper Cup and HFC Bank Farebrother Challenge for years, the Stallions have nothing left in their rugby cabinet at Talenavuruvuru.
They need to win to shift the power base of rugby back to the western division.
The only other western team in the Skipper Cup Premiership, Nadi will be pushing for their second win against Northland at Prince Charles Park.
Northland team manager Jo Rabuli said they know it would be tough second round.
“It will be tough playing Nadi in Nadi and the boys are preparing to rise to the occasion at Prince Charles Park,”Rabuli said.
“Our long term target is to stay in the Skipper Cup Premiership in 2020.”
The other teams playing this week are Naitasiri playing Rewa at Ratu Cakobau Park while Namosi host Tailevu at Thomson Park.
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