Highlanders ready for Tailevu
Tinaviti said the wet conditions made the Suva encounter difficult but praised his players for their effort.
Wednesday 26 August 2026 | 11:30
Naitasiri number 8 Saimoni Wakanivesi claims a high ball during their Skipper Cup round four clash against Suva at the HFC Bank Stadium, Suva on August 21, 2026.
Photo: Leon Lord
Naitasiri head coach Timoci Tinaviti expects a tough battle against Tailevu in their round five clash at Ratu Cakobau Park on Saturday.
He has warned his players not to underestimate their opponents.
"Tailevu is a good and strong side, and we expect a good and tough game from them.
"We will not take them lightly and we respect them," Tinaviti said.
Naitasiri heads into the match with confidence after staging a comeback to beat FMF Suva 29-26 in their round four clash at the National Stadium in Suva.
The side trailed 21-12 at half-time before fighting back to secure the win.
Speaking to SUNsports last Friday, Tinaviti said the team would review its performance and work on its structure ahead of the Tailevu clash.
"There's a lot of improvement and we will go back to our drawing board on Monday this week and review all our game performance so we can rectify all our errors that were made against Suva," Tinaviti said.
"We will be focusing on our structured game before facing Tailevu at Round Five at Ratu Cakobau Park."
Tinaviti said the wet conditions made the Suva encounter difficult but praised his players for their effort.
"Firstly, I would like to thank Suva for giving us a good game, especially playing in rainy weather. It was a tough game against Suva," he said.
He also highlighted the contribution of new players, including Kavaia Tagivetaua and Apisalomi Vota.
