Skipper Cup Player Highlight: Vatunitusiqila’s Big Dreams and Determination

Being the eldest in the family comes with its responsibilities; one primary role is setting a benchmark for your younger siblings. This is the reality of Sakiusa Vatunitusiqila who one-day dreams of wearing the white jersey of both the Fiji Airways Fijian 7s and the Fiji Water Flying Fijians for his family.

The humble and dedicated lad who hails from Lomani Koro, Bau, Tailevu has prominently featured for the Suva team in this year’s Skipper Cup competition running on as a utility backline player. His skill and tenacity for self-development has also landed him on the raider of national 7s selectors where he is currently part of the non-travelling reserves for the remainder of HSBC SVNS tournaments.

While waiting for that call to wear the national jersey, Vatunitusiqila reflects on how he started in the sport: “I played soccer while I was in primary school but later started playing rugby when I was in form 5 at Dudley High School.”

“Whenever I run on to the field, I remind myself that I am playing the sport that I love for my family, especially my parents and that’s what gets me through each game.”

When questioned on how he balances the two codes, he says its all in the mind and how you balance and manage your game.

Vatunitusiqila is also a product of the Elite Player Pathway under the Fiji Rugby High Performance Unit and is a prospect national representative who dreams of one-day playing for the national team at the Olympic games and Rugby World Cup.

The Suva Rugby team are lucky to have this talented and ambitious young man playing for them in Round 6 of the Skipper Cup competition this weekend when they take on Namosi.