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Nadi breaks jinx
Fiji Times - Saturday, September 22, 2007 6:47 PM
NADI broke a 17 year old jinx at Prince Charles Park by lifting the Sanyo Cup after defeating Naitasiri 22-8 in the final today.
The Jetsetters set another record by finishing the competition unbeaten with a streak of 13 victories.
Fitness was the key to Nadi’s dominance in the match with coach Iliesa Tanivula mapping out a match winning strategy to claim the provincial competition for the first time since 1989.
It was a heartening performance from the Nadi forwards as they withstood the early pressure from Naitasiri and then romped to a well calculated win with a brilliant second half performance.
Nadi Rugby Union president Sekove Tuilakeba said the wind of change brought about by the new executives paved the way for his team’s excellent performance in the Sanyo Cup.
He praised coach Tanivula for his vision that has seen the Nadi players maintain their composure and form from the opening match of the season.
Tuilakeba said the minor hiccup of the late elections of the NRU executives didn’t hinder their plans of taking rugby in the district to greater heights.
“This is just rewards for all the effort the executives, players and the coaching staff have put in,” Tuilakeba said.
“This win is for the vanua and the fans. For past three years Nadi has featured in the finals but have come short. This time we have made sure that we finish the job. It is a big win for the district. We last won in 1989. It certainly has been a long time coming and we will cherish it for many days to come.”
Nadi received $5000 for winning the Sanyo Cup while runner up Naitasiri had to settle for $2000.
Jo Tora played an instrumental role leading the Nadi side.
He kicked a decisive drop goal in the 70th minute and then scored a break away try to seal Nadi’s win.
Naitasiri pivot Saula Rabaka was a marked man. Referee James Bolabiu kept a tight control flashing yellow cards to Naitasiri’s Jokini Sivo and Nadi’s Paula Tule in the first half.
Nadi held a slender 6-5 lead at half time.
After an exchange of penalties between Asaeli Driu and Rabaka, Nadi stamped its control with its superior forward play.
On one occasion the Nadi forwards pushed Naitasiri back 30 metres to the delight of the home fans.
In the development XVs game Nadroga defeated Naitasiri 17-10 while Tavua accounted for Navosa 22-15 in the Under-19 final.
