[Source: Andrew Durutalo/Facebook]

For former Suva Grammar School representative Andrew Durutalo, the Deans campaign means far more than simply winning a trophy.

It is about the journey, the lessons learned through adversity and, most importantly, what young players go on to become after schoolboy rugby.

Durutalo knows that journey first-hand.

His story began in 2004, when Grammar’s Under-17 side lost 10–5 to Lelean Memorial School’s highly rated “Dream Team” at the National Stadium.

The very next day, the team flew to New Zealand for a rugby tour — an experience Durutalo believes played an important role in their development.

A year later, many of those players combined with the grade above for their first Deans campaign.

They reached the 2005 final, drawing with an RKS “Dream Team”, before returning in 2006 and falling short against another strong Lelean side.

For Durutalo, those setbacks were just as important as the successes.

“Sometimes losing teaches you what winning cannot.”

The experience taught the group perseverance and the importance of coming back, improving and doing the work again.

And the greatest measure of that generation was not the trophies, but what came afterwards.

Eleven players from the 2005–06 campaign went on to become full internationals for Fiji, Japan, Italy, Samoa and the United States, while others reached the highest levels of professional rugby, including France’s Top 14.

That is what Durutalo believes the Deans journey should ultimately be about.

“Deans should never be the end game. It should be the beginning of the journey.”

For him, the responsibility is to ensure young players continue to grow beyond school rugby — in sport, education and life.

More than two decades later, there is also a sense of history coming full circle.

The coach who guided Grammar’s Under-17 side in 2004, himself a Deans winner in 2001, is now the SGS Under-18 head coach, continuing to shape the next generation of Grammar rugby.

The Deans and Raluve finals start at 8am with the U14 match between QVS and Ratu Navula.

RKS tackles Marist at 9:05 in the U15 followed by the Raluve U16 at 10:25am where Nasinu faces Saint Vincent.

Suva Grammar and QVS play at 11:30am in the U16 Deans and then RKS battles Suva Grammar for the U17 title at 12:50pm.

The U19 final between Navatu and Lelean kicks off at 2:20pm before the U18 bronze medal playoff at 3:45pm.

Lomary and MGM are going to play at 5:05pm in the Raluve U18 final, and the main game between Suva Grammar and Lelean starts at 6:10pm.

You can watch the finals plus the bronze medal playoff LIVE on FBC Sports.

Overseas fans can witness all the action LIVE on VITI+ for $75FJD.