Sports administration can sometimes be monotonous, yet it plays a crucial role in ensuring competitions run smoothly.
The recent growth of Ba Rugby over the past 18 months has led to increasing expectations for proper conduct and transparency in areas such as discipline, match officiating, and player eligibility.
“We still have a lot to learn,” admitted BRU Secretary Gaby Kautoga. “Every week, it seems there’s something new we need to address, and we are grateful to our club and tikina members for their patience, as well as their contributions and ideas as we expand our operations.”
Yakete Nakula faced challenges last year, unable to field a women’s team in the 2023 Rooster Chicken Shield, and concerns arose when they missed Round 1 of the 2024 tournament last month. However, in Round 2, the Yakete ladies took the field confidently, starting with a prayer and subsequently claiming a decisive 24-0 victory over Qailyalatina Bure.
For Round 3, the team manager not only submitted individual player registrations to connect them with Ba but also presented a release letter from Yasawa Rugby Union for the 12 players who previously played there. “This all happened within a couple of days from when we submitted the registration forms,” Kautoga noted, adding that the majority of the players hail from Ba but attend school in Lautoka.
In a remarkable turn, Yakete then defeated Magodro 34-0, advancing them to today’s Rooster Chicken Shield semi-finals against Nailaga. “One of our significant goals for 2025 is for the Ba Women to gain promotion to the ANZ Marama Championship, and this achievement will provide a substantial boost to the team,” Kautoga stated.
Another highlight from last week was the organizational efficiency of the Veiyasana Under 19s team. “Despite receiving the registration forms only on Thursday, the Veiyasana Junior side completed them in time for Saturday’s game and even attached the birth certificates,” Kautoga said.
The Ba Tikina Championships serve not only to identify emerging players for the three Ba representative teams but also as a training ground for coaches and officials. “We can identify managers and assistant coaches for the Ba teams from here; some new faces are showcasing their competencies,” Kautoga added.
In the other Rooster Chicken Shield semi-final, the defending champions Veiyasana Cagilaba will face Bulu.
In the Ba Industries Cup, a last-minute penalty goal helped the Veiyasana men’s team secure a 12-10 victory over Qaliyalatina, both teams proceeding to the Cup semi-finals. All three Nailaga Tiliva Bukuya teams topped their pools, while the Naloto Under 19s defeated Bulu 22-14 to advance to the Allied Buses Trophy semi-finals.
All 24 teams will be in action today, with entry fees set at $4 for adults and $2 for youths.