Game Day Thursday

Crunch Time at Prince Charles Park
International rugby reached its zenith when a fleet of buses delivered the Newport stars to the headquarters of Fijian rugby. Vocal squads of young maidens from two local schools were on hand to cheer their champions and many were firmly in the Newport camp. The boys came to Fiji expecting to play rugby but many of them were treated like rock-stars in the Harry Kewell stand (Fijian spelling Dr Hari Kewel). The girls were not only in good voice, singing loudly throughout the games, they also besieged the boys and some of the dads with invitations to dance that few had the courage to refuse.
After a warm welcome from the Secretary of the Nadi Rugby Association, our boys got down to business. At stake was the Bula Cup, its fate would be decided by the third of three games. The Stingrays won the first game !7-10. The Barracudas won the second game 22-10. So far so good. Everything depended on the Killer Whales, and after the closest of contests they went down 10-5 with the Nai Katchi team scoring the winning try in the last few minutes of play. Such is rugby, such is life. The Fijians are the inaugural winners on the Bula Cup but the Newport boys took home a lot more. On and off the field they formed an instant bond with the Fijian kids. Despite their different backgrounds they share the love of rugby and the love of life. Even before the third game was over players in the other Newport teams shed their boots and socks to kick a ball around the paddock next door with their new- found Fijian friends. There were no inhibitions, just smiles and laughter. And when the impromptu game was over, many of our boys left behind their boots, head gear, and socks –a legacy to local rugby. Their spontaneous actions proved what we already knew – that the day had been a triumph.