Tuva Rugby Club player Samu Tiqe Lutumailagi, 27, collapsed during a match in the Nadroga Rugby Union competition and passed away at Lautoka Hospital on Monday.
Lutumailagi, a versatile player from Semo Village, Nadroga, was playing as a hooker against Lomawai on Thursday, June 20, replacing an absent teammate. According to his father Tomasi Hatuku, Lutumailagi was well-regarded for his dedication to their community and religious commitments.
Hatuku, a taxi driver based in Nadi, was unaware of his son’s plans to participate in the game that day. After having breakfast together, Hatuku left for work, assuming Lutumailagi was going to tend to his plantation. However, Lutumailagi returned home to collect his rugby gear and headed to the match.
The tikina (district) of Tuva includes eight villages: Vouwa, Nadroumai, Togovere, Semo, Nabau, Kamisi, Emuri, and Niu Yoka. Lutumailagi, the fifth of eight children, had borrowed money from his elder sister for his fare to the game.
During the match, Lutumailagi collapsed after the second scrum and was rushed from Koromumu (Sigatoka Hospital) to Lautoka Hospital in critical condition.
Lutumailagi’s passion for rugby was well known; he began playing rugby league at Ratu Kadavulevu School and represented Cuvu College in the Fiji Secondary Schools Deans competition. He also played for the Tuva Under-19 team, which won the Coral Coast Sevens U19 title three years in a row, and had been part of the Nadi NASA team since last year.
Lutumailagi will be laid to rest in Semo on Friday. Nadroga Rugby Union’s secretary Isireli Basiyalo referred inquiries to union president Jiuta Waqavonovono, who was unavailable for comment.