The Tailevu senior men’s rugby side is expecting a tough encounter against Suva in their last Skipper Cup round this Saturday.
Tailevu coach Samisoni Baikeitoga said despite their narrow 15-22 loss against Macuata last week; they intend to lock in a win against the capital side this week.
“We are preparing well for the match this weekend against Suva as they are a champion side,” Baikeitoga said.
“It will be a home game, so it will be a bonus if we win this,” he said.
Tailevu is ranked sixth on the Skipper Cup table. They face Lautoka in the Skipper Cup quarter-finals.
“We are already through to the quarter-finals,” he said.
“Our only goal now is to secure a bonus win against Suva to be ranked fifth so that we can challenge the Farebrother.”
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Baikeitoga said that even before the game against Macuata last week, the team had already qualified for the quarterfinals.
“These are all new players.
“Week in, week out, we have players injured and also those who could not take time off from work; we have had to cater for all.”
Baikeitoga said that while there was a huge demand from social media for them to win, things will take time.
“Some of these players are playing Skipper for the first time so it’s a great experience for them.”
He said that they will work on their mistakes and look for a solid build-up before their game against Suva this week.
“Our goal this season is to just qualify for the semi-finals.
“The game against Suva is good preparation for the quarters.”
Baikeitoga believes that the major weakness he found out in their game against Macuata was decision making.
“We nearly scored a try against Macuata but our poor decision cost us. We had a lot of possession but we were unable to utilise them.”
“There were some blunders by the ref but we can’t blame the ref because his decision is always correct.”
Baikeitoga said that while they have a good forward pack they need to work on their defense.
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