Pastor Gaby Kautoga, who serves as the secretary of the Ba Rugby Union, is deeply involved in promoting grassroots rugby, especially at the primary school level, leveraging his background as a teacher. This season, he dedicated considerable time to working with the Kaji kids at Koronubu Sanatan Primary School, collaborating with head coach Krishneel Kumar in preparation for the Ba West kids rugby tournament.
The results were impressive, as Pastor Kautoga noted. The students secured victories in the under-14 Indo boys category, as well as in both the U14 mixed girls and U14 mixed boys divisions. Furthermore, the U10 girls team finished as runners-up in their category.
Kautoga emphasized the promising future of rugby in Ba, highlighting the province’s rich rugby heritage, being the first place in Fiji where the sport was introduced in 1884, the location of Fiji’s oldest rugby ground at Rarawai Mill, and Bukuya, which boasts the highest rugby field in the country.
He praised the integrated nature of the Ba community, underscoring the importance of inclusivity and education, and expressed joy over the significant achievements of Koronubu Sanatan.