At just 17, Benjamin Soko has fast become the Covenant Blues’ youngest and most talked-about starter as the club reshapes its forward pack in the Suva Rugby Union Escott Shield this season. Soko has been a fixture in both the starting XV and the match-day 23 since the competition began, and in round three the rookie hooker started in the front row and helped the Blues grind out a 20-10 victory over the experienced Nabua Maroons at Buckhurst Ground, Suva.
Soko’s emergence is notable because he did not follow the usual Deans Cup pathway. The teenager, who hails from Tubou on Lakeba in Lau, instead came up through the Covenant junior setup, representing the club in the junior Escott Shield between 2014 and 2016. Drua talent scouts picked him out from those years of junior rugby, and he joined the Fijian Drua system earlier this year — a step that has intensified his training and exposure to elite standards.
“Joining the academy has been tough,” Soko said, reflecting on the jump into senior environments. “We had to go through broncos and hurdles. It’s not easy.” He has learned quickly that senior men’s rugby is a physical test: “You’re playing against someone twice your age. But it’s a good experience for me. It helps me gain more skills and strength,” he added after the Nabua match.
The Blues are in a clear rebuilding phase after several senior players moved on following strong campaigns. Club selectors and coaches have been deliberately blooding younger players as they seek long-term answers at key positions — hooker, tighthead prop and halfback among them. Soko has been earmarked as a possible long-term solution at hooker; his set-piece work, physicality and discipline around core duties have drawn favourable attention, particularly given his ongoing work with the Drua high-performance academy. “Playing hooker is very hard. All you care about is the ball,” he said, describing his focus on fundamentals.
Rugby pedigree runs through Soko’s family. He is the nephew of Fijian Drua captain Temo Mayanavanua and is part of the wider Kolinisau family that includes Olympic gold medallist and current national sevens coach Osea Kolinisau. The young hooker says family ties bring expectation but also motivation. “When people say I’m part of the Mayanavanua family, it’s not easy for me to express. I just say I am one of them — but I am also a Kolinisau,” he said.
Soko cites Flying Fijians captain Tevita Ikanivere as his benchmark and is clear about the pathway ahead: “Just train hard and improve my skills.” For Covenant Blues, the immediate reward is a gritty win and the promise of a home-grown front-row prospect. For Soko, the latest development is the step from junior standout to trusted senior starter — an accelerated transition that the club will be watching closely as the Escott Shield season unfolds.
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