Tuivaga: Holy Cross scare was the wake-up call Nasinu needed

Nasinu Secondary School Under-18 captain Samuela Tuivaga says that his side learnt a valuable lesson after Saturday’s dramatic 21-20 comeback victory over Holy Cross College in Suva.

Speaking to SUNsports, Tuivaga said the match showed the team they could not afford to underestimate any opponent.

“We were disappointed with our performance in the first half, but our coach’s words motivated us to fight back,” he said.

Tuivaga said poor communication and basic handling errors allowed Holy Cross to take control early in the match.

“There was a lot of miscommunication and technical errors, which caused setbacks and left some of us frustrated,” he said.

Tuivaga said the coach urged the players to work together, communicate and trust each other throughout the second half.

Tuivaga admitted the team briefly lost hope after trailing 17-0 before halftime but said they drew strength from their faith and remembered who they were playing for.

“I can admit that I was losing hope during the game, but looking back, it was God who pulled us through,” he said.

Tuivaga said Nasinu had regularly reached the Deans finals and hoped this year the team could go one step further.

“We want to improve in these areas, and our goal is to win the trophy this year,” he said.

Nasinu Secondary School came from 17-0 down to edge Holy Cross College 21-20 at full-time.