Tuisese: Avoid Playing Catch Up Rugby
Naitasiri coach hails Ba for giving them a good run before facing Nadi this weekend.
Sunday 28 April 2024 | 23:20
Naitasiri and Swire Shipping Fijian Drua flanker Motikai Murray (with ball) bursts through the Ba during their Skipper Cup clash at Ratu Cakobau Park, Nausori, on April 27, 2024. Murray put an impressive perfor-mance and could force his way back into the Drua squad to face the Brumbies in Canberra, Australia, this Saturday. Photo: Ronald Kumar.
Naitasiri must avoid playing catch-up rugby when it comes to the crucial stage of the Skipper Cup competition.
This was the view of Naitasiri head coach Dr Ilaita Tuisese after they overcame an early onslaught from the Ba side before running away with a 22-13 win at Ratu Cakobau Park, Nausori, last Saturday.
“Our execution was not good and Ba gave us a lot of pressure,” Tuisese said. “We controlled the pressure well. We had to go and behave ourselves in the second half.
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“I think the boys were a bit lazy as it’s all a mental thing.
It was a very strong Ba side and they gave us a good run.”
Tuisese said mental preparation is important in these crucial matches.
“It’s all in the mind, in the game against Suva we were relaxed.
We never took nothing away from Ba as they were a strong team and it’s their last game of the season.
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“I told the boys not to focus too much on the Nadi game as I expected Ba to come out strong.”
Tuisese highlighted that they cannot afford a late start against Nadi.
“We need to start playing good rugby from the first whistle rather than leaving it too late.
“Our discipline is always the downfall for us.
“We have a plan set-up to help prepare for the game but sometimes the players get carried away from our plan.
“It’s something that we need to work on, we need to stick to the game plan, do what we plan to do.
“We have a good support base and we hope to get them again in the game against Nadi.”
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