Bank’s timely support boosts Taveuni

The Taveuni Rugby Union (TRU) faces a $25,000 bill to host their remaining five Skipper Cup home matches, but the timely arrival of Merchant Finance as their major sponsor has really boosted them.

TRU vice-president Ioane Gade told SUNsports yesterday that hosting each home match costs about $5000 and sponsorship is now an important part of their campaign.

“With Merchant Finance coming on board as our major sponsor, it is a major boost for the team,” the former Westpac banker said.

“This also helps with the operational costs of running our home games. It costs $5000 per game to run our home games, which is $25,000 in total for all five games.

"Merchant Finance takes a big chunk of our match-day expenses.”

The sponsorship comes at an important time for Taveuni, which has impressed in their first Skipper Cup season with wins over Ba and Nadroga. At the same they have lost narrowly to Malolo, Navosa, Nadi and Naitasiri.

Gade said the team was confident of making the most of their five remaining home matches, starting with their home game against Rewa.

“The team is confident that they can win all our home games,” he said.

He said Taveuni’s progress was even more impressive given that the team is made up entirely of local players who started the season with limited training resources.

“I think we are punching above our weight so far this year. We had no proper training equipment, just balls and cones,” Gade said.

“Our players have achieved quite a lot this year in terms of development. The players and team management have been away from their families for seven weeks, and we salute them for this. I think it’s all about passion for rugby.”

Taveuni joined the Fiji Rugby Union’s Vodafone Vanua Cup competition in 2024 after being established in 2023, with its initial three-year plan to reach the Skipper Cup.

Gade said that target had now been achieved, with the union setting a new five-year goal.