The Fiji Secondary School Rugby Union (FSSRU) is set to issue an official apology to the under-18 Ratu Kadavulevu School (RKS) team and its management. This follows a misannouncement on Saturday stating that RKS had won their Vodafone Super Deans quarter-final match against Cuvu College.
The RKS team was celebrating and leaving the field when Cuvu College’s supporters began to cheer upon learning that the match results had been revised, revealing a scoring error made by officials. A penalty try awarded to Cuvu was mistakenly recorded as five points instead of the correct seven.
FSSRU vice-president Savenaca Muamua confirmed that an apology would be made to RKS management regarding the incident. There were reports that RKS had kicked the ball out after being informed by an official that they were in the lead.
“If we find that to be true, then that official will no longer participate in the Deans competition,” Muamua stated. “We are conducting a full investigation on this matter. This is the first time such a mistake has happened, and we want to ensure it does not occur again.”
Muamua also reminded officials that on game days they must operate under the FSSRU’s authority, rather than representing their individual schools, emphasizing the need for neutrality and fairness.
“This is the first significant blunder of its kind. We have informed the officials that when they are under the FSSRU, they must be neutral. We have also created a new officials list to be endorsed, as some teachers are involved, and while the pressure of the game can be intense, it is not an excuse.”
He assured that such incidents will be avoided in the upcoming semi-finals and finals, which are scheduled to take place at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.