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Red rock chases 3rd Fiji Marist crown

Thursday 4 March 2010 (Fiji Times)

The Fiji Marist Sevens is the largest tournament on the Soutb Pacific Island and 2 time winners Red Rock are once again chasing the title in the 129 team tournament.

The side has been bolstered with the return of former national reps like Suliano Wainivanua, Daniele Tabuakuru and Watekini Vunisa.

Wainivanua will captain the Lote Rasiga-coached side. Rasiga has welcomed the return of key players saying his young team needed the experience of senior players to do well in the tournament.

"We have some new talented players in the team. They are young and have been working hard," he said.

"With the inclusion of experienced players, I think the young ones will be managed well on the field."

Rasiga said new playmaker Peni Gaunimeke would be the player to look out for in his team.

"We can win a third Marist Sevens title," he said.

"We are training hard and the players have the fitness.

"But it will be tough to win the Marist Sevens, there will be strong competition because all the teams have been preparing for so long," said Rasiga. Red Rock will be fielding two teams in the $15,000 Fiji Bitter Marist Sevens.

Alongside teams chasing glory at the Marist Sevens this weekend, players will also be looking to showcase their talents in front of national selectors. Gaunimeke is one of the players to look out for and is keen to impress.

The 21-year-old from Waiqanake Village in Veisari is looking forward to his first Marist Sevens. He joined Red Rock last year and has played six tournaments for the twice champion club without winning any silverware.The best he has managed with Red Rock was a loss in the final of the Newtown Sevens and plate final win in the Mokani Sevens.

"Marist Sevens will be much tougher than the tournaments I've played for Red Rock," said Gaunimeke.

"I'm looking forward to it and doing my job."

With a number of national sevens reps struggling with injury, Gaunimeke hopes to be one of the replacement players that selectors will be eyeing from the Marist Sevens.

"This is the chance to show Fiji Rugby Union that we have players here who can also play in the national team," Gaunimeke said.

"I want to be in the national sevens squad."

His elder brother Jope Naimila was part of the Red Rock team that won the Marist Sevens in 2003.

"We can win the tournament," he said.

"The coach (Lote Rasiga) has been training us well. He has always advised me to improve during training and be focused. He says the aim should be to make the Fiji team."

Gaunimeke was part of the southern zone schoolboys rugby team that toured Auckland in 2006 and was also in the Laucala Bay Secondary School team that lost to Nasinu Secondary School in semi-finals of the Deans competition.

"The tour was a learning experience. The other players were from Marist, Ratu Sukuna and Suva Grammar," he said.

Tagged in this article: The 34th Fiji Bitter Marist 7s

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