
Navosa Kaji and Kajiana rugby is a dominant and developing district in the Fiji Primary Kaji Competition, but its participation comes with challenges which cannot be fixed.
The 16 schools that comprise the district’s team, including Vatukacevaceva Village School, Noikoro Primary School, Namata District School, and Naqalimare District School, are located far from each other.
According to Ratu Viliame Kato, the coach of the Navosa Kajiana under 13 grade, preparing a team is a difficult task when the players have limited time to train together.
The team was only gathered during the two-week school holiday, which was also challenging as many students were unavailable.
“Some players are coming to the Stadium for the first time, and some are even coming to Suva for the first time. It’s a great experience for them, I think they are very excited to be here.”
Despite these obstacles, Kato says parents and teachers played a huge role in organizing the children and ensuring their participation in the competition.
He believes that this stage of competition is vital for the young players’ development, giving them a taste of what it is like to compete on a national level.
Kato adds their ultimate goal is to see their young talents transition into national-level competitions, just as many of their past players have successfully moved on to play in the Raluve competition and make a name for themselves.
The Kaji/Kajiana competitions are ongoing at the HFC Bank Stadium, Suva.
You catch all the live action of the competition from tomorrow on FBC 2.
Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.