Good news for Nadrago Rugby: He is back again…

At Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka this afternoon, Nadroga defeated Naitasiri 29–20, successfully defending the Farebrother Trophy.

In the game’s fifth minute, Naitasiri crossed the try line first, taking a 7-0 lead.

But in the eleventh minute, Nadroga broke through Naitasiri’s defense and scored to grab a 5-7 lead.

In the fifteenth minute, Naitasiri responded with another attempt to take the lead.

In spite of this setback, the hosts persisted and kept up the pressure on Naitasiri’s defense, which led to a successful conversion in the 20th minute and their first game-winning goal prior to halftime.

In the second half, the Stallions showed greater energy and took a 17–13 lead after scoring again in the 44th minute.

They accelerated their attack once more in the 51st minute, taking a 24–13 lead.

In minute 69, Nadroga increased their lead to 29-13.

Despite Naitasiri’s best efforts, their lone goal in the second half was not enough to give them the victory.

Nadroga is returning to form.

The Stallions defeated Suva 25-17 in the first round and Namosi 29-28 in the second to demonstrate in their first two games that they are a serious contender for the Skipper Cup for 2018–20. The Stallions finished without winning a trophy the previous year.

Naitasiri knocked them out of the Skipper Cup semifinals, while Namosi upset the long-standing rugby titan of Fiji to win the Farebrother-Sullivan Trophy.

As a result, the apparatus and efforts made by Fiji’s superpower deserve praise and discussion.

In the sports piece “New design to challenge team” (FT: 30/04) that I read, Noa Biudole stated that the Nadroga rugby team had a slightly altered design on their shirt for the current rugby season. The jersey featured a fading image of the coronavirus.

“We all faced the wrath of COVID-19, and for us the tourism industry was affected which was the main source of income to our Nadroga family,” stated their former captain Sakiusa Nakalevu. “But we remained bold and strong to overcome the challenges.”

“Despite the fact that the tourism sector was severely damaged and our families and supporters lost their jobs, they persisted in showing their support for the officials and players.”

Even though we were unable to retain the Farebrother Trophy, we never gave up and kept working as a team and a family in order to recover this year. Our plans for growth and raising our standards had fallen off, but we rose to the occasion.

The rugby team from Nadroga views the jersey as a challenge: “We, the Stallions, will continue to gallop through COVID and prove to the world that Nadroga is capable of defeating any obstacle in our path.”

Yes, Nakalevu sent a strong and poignant statement!

The sacrifices made are therefore paying off this year, and when the Skipper Cup competition returns, I’m counting on the Stallions to be clinical, accurate, and deadly.

With the Stallions taking down giants Suva and Namosi, Nadro remains unblemished. I’m hoping for the best for the Stallions till round three resumes! Salutations, Nadro!