Suva Grammar School’s under-15 rugby side registered a 22-5 victory over Queen Victoria School in a warm-up fixture at Grammar’s school ground yesterday, a result that the hosts hope will build momentum as the Deans competition approaches. The friendly served as a final tune-up before Southern Zone Deans matches begin in the second term and provided coaches with a chance to assess combinations and identify areas for improvement.
Team manager Debra Gucake praised the effort of her charges but warned that handling remains a weakness to be fixed before the official zone rounds. “The boys worked hard and showed character, but our ball handling let us down at times,” Gucake said, stressing that polishing fundamentals will be a priority in the coming days. She also reminded the side of last year’s success: “We won the under-15 Deans Trophy last year, and our main job this year is to retain the title.”
Gucake revealed that the under-15 squad includes several athletes who excelled at the recent Coca-Cola Games, underscoring the multi-sport pedigree in the Grammar ranks. Among them are the quartet that claimed gold in the junior boys’ 4x400m relay and a junior boys’ long jump gold medallist. She added that three of those athletes had only joined rugby training a day before the friendly and will continue working through their preparation as the Deans campaign nears.
Queen Victoria School head coach Misaele Gavidi said his side largely executed their game plan despite the loss and identified set pieces as a specific area to tighten ahead of their next outing. “The boys played to the plan and showed fight; we will go back to the drawing board and sharpen our lineouts and scrums,” Gavidi said. Like Grammar, QVS also fielded students who had competed at the Coca-Cola Games, demonstrating the close crossover between athletics and rugby in school sport programmes.
The match was notable not just for the scoreline but for the quick turnaround facing both teams: Grammar travel to Sigatoka to meet Cuvu College tomorrow for another pre-zone contest. That fixture will give Gucake and her coaching staff another opportunity to refine combinations, test players under travel conditions and finalise selections ahead of the Southern Zone Deans opener.
With the Deans a key pathway to national schoolboy honours, both schools made clear yesterday that preparation will intensify. Grammar’s objective is clear — retain the under-15 Deans Trophy won last year — while QVS aim to shore up specific weaknesses and build toward peak performance when the zone campaign officially starts in term two. The coming days of training and the quick succession of warm-up matches will be pivotal in shaping both teams’ readiness.