FMF Suva had to dig deep to be able to stem a gutsy performance by Namosi in their Skipper Cup match today at Bidesi grounds.
Trailing by one point at 20 – 19 with four minutes left till full-time, Suva fullback Sakiusa Siqila was awarded a penalty which then moved them up to 22 points. Two minutes later the same penalty try was awarded to Namosi and they opted to kick to goal which was unsuccessful.
Captain of the capital city side Enele Malele said the game against Namosi has really laid bare the weak areas of their game.
“Today Namosi’s ruck was just too good and broke us many times. We almost lost that game and I’ve never seen Namosi play like the way they did today.”
Namosi captain Akapusi Rokoqica said they were unlucky when they couldn’t hold on to the winning margin.
“That was our game and I’m so proud of how the men came on and played the 80 minutes the way they did. We made some mistakes which will something we will go and talk about when we return to base.”
Rokoqica has put out a plea to the people of Namosi to support the team.
“Most of these guys are unemployed and they live in the villages in the highlands and to come to training they have to find their own to base. They come and play because they hope to make it big somewhere, maybe they’ll get noticed so they play with all their heart.”
“Suva is a class above the rest. We told ourselves that we will not allow them to intimidate us with their resources, compared to what we have. So today’s loss really hurts because we realise we have let so many down in our province.”
In other Skipper Cup competitions, Naitasiri triumphed over Macuata 27 – 21, Nadroga won over Tailevu 39 – 16 and Lautoka beat Ba 27 – 15.
