Tailevu works on discipline, defence

Tailevu must tighten their defence and cut out costly penalties to contain Nadroga’s fast, open rugby in Saturday’s Skipper Cup semi-final at the National Stadium in Suva.

Speaking to SUNsports yesterday, Tailevu team manager Pita Naidrolevu said they have reviewed their 23-16 quarterfinal win over Navosa and identified areas they need to improve on.

“We will not treat this game lightly and we know Nadroga will also be prepared to face us on Saturday,” Naidrolevu said.

He said scrum errors and late tackles in the quarterfinal had resulted in a yellow and a red card, highlighting the need for better discipline.

“We really need to cut that off,” he said.

Naidrolevu said the team had emphasised the importance of avoiding penalties during training ahead of the semi-final.

“We cannot afford to give penalties away to opponents,” he said.

He said Tailevu was determined to reach the final and avoid a repeat of last year’s semi-final loss to Naitasiri.

“This is an important game to us and we are trying our best to qualify for the final and avoid the same mistakes we made like last year,” he said.

Naidrolevu said maintaining possession and limiting Nadroga’s attacking opportunities would be crucial to Tailevu’s chances.

“They are known for their speed and open-play rugby and those are the areas that we are targeting to stop them,” he said.

He said Tailevu expected a tough contest and would be ready for Nadroga’s attacking threat.

Naidrolevu also urged Tailevu fans to turn out in numbers to back the team in Saturday’s semi-final.

Semi-final fixtures

King Charles Park, Nadi
11am Skipper U20 Nadi v Ba; 1pm Marama Cup Nadi v Namosi; 3pm Skipper Cup senior men’s Nadi v Naitasiri 

National Stadium, Suva
11am Skipper U20 Suva v Nadroga; 1pm Marama Cup Suva v Nasinu; 3pm Skipper Cup senior men’s Tailevu v Nadroga.