Wednesday, October 19, 2005

The Match


A Saturday Afternoon at Savusavu Stadium – do it yourself concession stands where orange drink is mixed and sold from previously used Coke bottles, invisible trash containers, toads fleeing the playing field for refuge amongst the spectators, super fans of all ages everywhere, and the occasional resort bus dropping high paying guests for pictures of the day’s excitement. This is rugby, the pinnacle of triumph. Rugby is a religion in Fiji where every village has a finely tuned team. Preparation takes on physical, mental and spiritual components all while having the full support of the village, family and friends.

We are about to go behind the scenes of the Vivili Village Tigers rugby team as they prepare for a match against Waivunia Village. The Vivilli Tigers challenged Waivunia for the Shield, a highly coveted prize. However, this is more than a challenge for a prize but a match against relatives. Both villages are neighbors and at a time in the past these two teams were one. As the team grew they split, and are now both very competitive. This match resulted in a final score of 17-3.

Now to see what rugby is all about in Fiji…

PLAY Part I (7.8Mb .mov)

PLAY Part II (15.4Mb .mov) Updated 11-07-05