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Quest for top spot fuels Rewa ahead of their semifinal clash
The much-anticipated Vodafone Vanua championship semifinal between Rewa and Nanukuloa will be the last hurdle to overcome for Rewa to achieve their goal this year.
After their relegation from the Skipper Cup last year, Rewa was eager to make it to the finals of the Vodafone Vanua Championship this year, and secure their spot in the Skipper Cup for the upcoming season.
During the launch of the Vodafone Vanua Championship back in August, Rewa’s assistant manager Petero Kaveni was determined that Rewa will fight to earn the top spot in this season’s Vodafone Vanua Championship.
Kaveni emphasized that Rewa’s main focus coming into this year’s Vodafone championship is to make it to the final.
In the last round, Northland topped the Central Vanua points table as Rewa came in second with six total matches securing four wins, a draw, and 1 loss. To qualify for the Skipper Cup they will have to beat Nanukuloa, having topped the Eastern Vanua points table securing five victories with only 1 loss.
Rewa head coach Ro Alivereti Doviverata said that his players have gained much exposure playing against some good teams in the past 7 weeks, Ro Dovi believes it sets the right tone for his team going into the playoff stage.
“We’ve had a lot of hard matches this season and it was a good preparation platform for us going into this playoff stages.”
“We are preparing for what they have for us this weekend, we know they will come in hard at us, and we are ready to give them a good battle.”
Petero Kaveni knows it will be a tough game playing against the best team from the Central division, but he added that their quest to be in the final is also a motivation for the team ahead of their semifinal clash.
“We know that we belong in the top competition, it’s something that’s been fueling our team throughout this Vodafone Vanua championship, knowing that we have to earn our spot back into the Skipper Cup,” said Kaveni.
Kaveni added that the patriotic support from the people of Rewa is also a motivating factor for the team throughout their Vanua Championship campaign.
“The Rewan people’s support is also a major motivation behind our team’s progress in the Vodafone Championship.”
Kaveni said that seeing how (Rewan’s) are coming in full force to support their team encourages “our players and give them more energy to go the extra mile, achieve the wanted result and make our people proud.” he added.
“Rugby brings us together and so far, our journey in the Vodafone Championship has brought the people of Rewa together on many occasions, as they’ve been following and supporting their team,” said Kaveni.
Meanwhile, with the guidance of padre and former Naitasiri head coach Joji Rainakama, Nanukuloa has evolved to another level in showcasing high caliber performances throughout their games, and are looking to make their first-ever Vodafone Vanua championship grand finale, thus climbing up to Skipper Cup which also will be history for them.
Rewa will take on Nanukuloa 3 pm this Saturday at Garvey Park, Tavua. Nanukuloa Women’s takes on Serua at 11 am while Nanukuloa Under-19 takes on Ba Under- 19 at 1 pm.
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