31 January, 2026, 2:23 am Central - 25°C Clouds

Team with the right mindset and attitude can win the Deans Trophy – Former Deans winner

Team with the right mindset and attitude can win the Deans Trophy – Former Deans winner

By Mikaele Liga
22/08/2025
Pastor Epeli Ratuniata

The Vodafone Super Deans Trophy will not be won by the team that prays the hardest or sings the loudest to God—but by the team that enters the field with the right mindset, the right attitude, and plays smart, hard, and constructive rugby.

That was the message from Pastor Epeli Ratuniata, a former Deans Trophy winner in 1995, who shared his thoughts with fijivillage Sports.

Pastor Ratuniata, who now serves as a minister with the Assemblies of God Ministry, emphasized what the Deans Trophy means to students, especially those who have shed blood, sweat, and tears in pursuit of it.

He fondly recalled the moment he and his teammates lifted the trophy in 1995.

Pastor Ratuniata recalls one evening the team brought the trophy into the school dining hall during dinner, where the entire school erupted in tears and joy—a moment he says remains unforgettable.

He offered a heartfelt message to the players of both Nasinu Secondary School and RKS, and that is to make a name for themselves.

He also encouraged players from all grades not to stop at the Deans competition, but to chase their rugby dreams and aim for the highest levels of the sport.

QVS will play Grammar in the U14 grade at 8am, Grammar will face MGM in the under 15 grade at 9.10am, and they will play Gospel High School in the U16 final at 11.50am.

Lelean will meet RKS in the U17 grade at 1.10pm, and Tailevu North College will play Nasinu Secondary in the U19 final at 2.50pm, while in the U18 final, Nasinu Secondary will meet Ratu Kadavulevu School at 5.30pm.

In the Weet-Bix Raluve finals, Sigatoka Methodist College will take on Ratu Latianara College in the U16 grade at 10.40am, and Natabua High School will meet Jasper Williams High School in the U18 grade at 4.20pm.

You can catch the live commentaries on our sister station VITIFM and the fijivillage app for the U18 Raluve final and the U18 Deans final between RKS and Nasinu tomorrow.

FNRL
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