The Minister for Education, Aseri Radrodro, has directed the Fiji Secondary School Rugby Union (FSSRU) to reinstate the Bucalevu Secondary School Under-17 team in the Vodafone Deans national quarter-finals scheduled for this weekend.
Bucalevu, a school located in Taveuni, was disqualified following a formal complaint from Nabua Secondary School (NSS) after they lost to Bucalevu in their playoff match at Subrail Park, Labasa on July 27. Bucalevu narrowly defeated NSS with a score of 21-20 to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
The disqualification occurred due to allegations that a player from Bucalevu’s U16 team also participated in the U17 match, which contravenes FSSRU rules. Section 10 of the FSSRU Terms of Participation explicitly states that a player cannot represent two different teams from the same school in the Vodafone FSSRU Super Deans Championship during a single season.
Following Bucalevu’s disqualification, NSS was set to face Ratu Kadavulevu School at 11 am this Saturday. Meanwhile, the defending U17 champion, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial School, is out of the competition after failing to qualify this year.
Minister Radrodro confirmed his directive, emphasizing that Bucalevu won the game fairly and deserves to compete. He instructed the Permanent Secretary to inform FSSRU executives to respect the game’s outcome.
When approached for comment, FSSRU president Jone Kanalagi indicated he was in a meeting with the Permanent Secretary and agreed to provide a comment later. The Permanent Secretary, Selina Kuruleca, declined to comment when contacted.