Halftime Pep Talk Inspires Navy
The Navy rugby team successfully defended the Bougainville Shield when they edged a spirited Labasa Army side 15-10 at Subrail Park, Labasa, on Wednesday.
The Suva-based Navy outfit were boosted with experienced players who have represented Suva and the Fijian Warriors teams.
Navy captain Meli Baivatu, told SUNsports they were honoured to receive the shield from the Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.
The tough No.8 said the halftime message from their coach boosted their morale to improve on their performance.
“The message was simple and that we had to refocus on executing the basics of the game well.
“We were playing expansive rugby in the first half, but, this did not pay off as we could not score more points.
“We made simple mistakes like ball handling errors and missed tackles, which were costly for us.”
Both teams were tied 10-10 at halftime. The former Fiji Warriors rep believed they managed the game well in the second half.
Navy’s lone try was scored by former Fijian 7s forward Vasikali Mudu.
The Navy defence stood tall and kept the Labasa Army side from scoring a try in the final minute of the game.
“Defensively we were prepared for them as we knew they will plan open rugby after participating in sevens tournaments throughout the year.
“We accomplished our mission as we have been working on it since last week, and finally well executed it this week.”
Labasa Army coach, Mika Mataka, was impressed with his players as they lifted their game and almost beat Navy.
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