Loa Players Here To Learn

The Loa rugby 7s team arrived in Suva last night ready to play in their first Fiji Bitter Marist 7s tournament at the ANZ Stadium, Suva this weekend.

Speaking to SUNsports, assistant team manager Joseva Selo said playing in the country’s biggest 7s tournament is a way of exposing their young players.

“They’ve always hear about the Fiji Bitter Marist 7s but now they are coming over to play,” he said.

The village of Loa is in Buca Bay, Cakaudrove. The Buca Bay penin­sula has become the breeding place for many of our rugby greats like Josefa Rauto, Tiko Bucaonadi and lately is our Olympian and Fijian 7s star halfback Seremaia (Jerry) Tuwai.

Selo highlighted that their coach Asaeli Vatuvatu had coached Tu­wai when he first started playing.

“This is our youth development programme.

“The fifteen players in the squad are not only playing rugby they are also undergoing a farming pro­gramme as well.

“They do farming in the morning before they attend their training run in the afternoon. Each player has planted about 2000 kava plants.

“The motive behind the pro­gramme is that when they don’t play rugby at least they have some­thing to fall back on.”

Selo said their 15-member squad are accompanied by the village el­ders led by Tui Loa Ratu Bola Vo­sarogo.

“The trip is being financed by the village and also by the people of Loa who are now working in Viti Levu,” he added.

Edited by Osea Bola

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