Eight years later, Vuetaki finds redemption

It has been eight years since Viliame Vuetaki guided a Ratu Navula Col­lege (RNC) team to play at Suva's National Stadium.

The Under-14 head coach could not be prouder of his young players who de­feated school rugby powerhouse Queen Victoria School (QVS) 22-17 in the final on Saturday.

He praised his resilient side for over­coming a difficult journey during the season.

From not having a full squad to deal­ing with the loss of loved ones, Vuetaki said his team remained firm in their faith and believed that nothing was im­possible with God.

"To be frank, we began training in the first week of the competition with only 13 players," Vuetaki said.

During their semi-final, the team had only two players available on the re­serve bench as injuries mounted.

"I acknowledge divine intervention," he said.

"We had no strength and conditioning coach, but we proved otherwise."

Vuetaki acknowledged the head of school and parents who supported the team from their first game of the sea­son.

"Inside the changing room, you'll see photos of their loved ones in their lock­ers, as that's what they are playing for."

Vuetaki also revealed that their cap­tain and playmaker, Vero Naovuka, lost his mother a few months ago.

Another player, Aporosa Dakuitoga, also played in memory of his late younger sister.

"There was so much to play for," he said.

"He (Naovuka) was down in the first five minutes, and I encouraged him to dig deep.

"I told him, 'This is the steep part of the hill, and if you push hard a little bit, it will make Mum smile from heaven."'

He said losing the 2018 Deans semi­final to Ratu Kadavulevu School, fol­lowed by the loss of players' relatives in the Nabou accident after the match, was heartbreaking.

"That RNC U18 team included Kitione Salawa. That was a tough day, so this victory is probably redemption."

Vuetaki is confident that his players can follow the same pathway as Salawa into the national sevens team, Fijian Drua and Flying Fijians.

He said the main goal was to help his players build a pathway towards achieving their rugby ambitions.

"I told them that the main goal for this team is not winning, but to help them with their pathway to reach their goals in rugby," he said.

"Rugby has a lot of high-income-earn­ing contracts, more than white-collar jobs, which is the main motivation from Ul4 to U18 through RNC."