Less than 48 hours after Heads of Schools and Zone Executives were informed of the confirmed venues for the Vodafone Deans and Weet-Bix Raluve finals venue, the Fiji Secondary Schools Rugby Union is now back to square one – hunting for grounds.

Yesterday, it was confirmed through a circular signed by the FSSRU Secretary, Navitalai Weiwalu, that the 2025 Deans and Raluve finals will be held at Govind Park in Ba.

However, today the tune has changed with FSSRU saying no ground is available as Govind Park was booked last year.

The national quarterfinals are still confirmed for Prince Charles and Churchill Parks in Nadi and Lautoka, with the semifinals in Sigatoka.

FSSRU is looking for grounds to host the finals because the HFC Bank Stadium will not be available on August 23rd.

Earlier today, the Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka clarified that he didn’t issue any directive for the closure of the grounds at the HFC Bank Stadium in Laucala Bay, nor did he have any intention of doing so.

PM Rabuka said he not only gave such an order, but he also doesn’t have the legal authority as Prime Minister to issue such a directive.

The head of government was responding to a circular sent on Monday by the Fiji Secondary Schools Rugby Union to heads of participating schools regarding the rescheduling of the Deans and Raluve quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals venues due to the closure of the HFC Stadium by the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister said the authority to close the Stadium rests solely with the owners of the ground, which is the Fiji Sports Council.

Rabuka clarified that his only action was to voice concern over the poor condition of the pitch during the Fiji Water Flying Fijians’ home test match against Scotland earlier this month.

He noted that visible issues on the field, including uneven and soft patches, had compromised the quality of the game and demanded a thorough explanation from the Minister responsible for sports.

The Prime Minister expresses the hope that the FSSRU will address and correct the inaccuracy in their statement.

Meanwhile, Buckhurst and Bidesi Parks in Suva will host the Raluve quarterfinals and Deans playoffs on Saturday, and overseas viewers can watch selected matches live on Viti+.

Local fans will be able to watch the action live and exclusively on FBC 2.

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