Two more Fiji Rugby Kaji players head for the UK 03 June, 2011

Sakeasi Kaitoga

Cameron Kelemeti

A pair of eleven-year-old boys, one from the Suva kaji rugby team and one from Nasinu, have been selected to join Terrington Hall School in the United Kingdom this September for the start of a two-year rugby scholarship.

Sakeasi Kaitoga from International School and Cameron Kelemeti from Latter Day Saints Primary School will be following in the footsteps of Filimoni Savou, son of the national 7s coach Josateki Savou.

After a year at Terrington Hall Savou will graduate in July and next week is sitting exams for the prestigious Harrow School with the offer of a 100 percent scholarship at stake.

Terrington Hall headmaster Jon Glen said the school had benefited enormously from Savou’s one-year period of study and they were delighted to continue the relationship. ‘We’ve learnt so much from this and it’s been wonderful for the pupils. It’s surpassed all of my hopes.’

Kaitoga and Kelemeti will study in the UK for one academic year, returning to Fiji in July 2012 for the long British summer holiday, before flying back to the UK and starting their final year in September 2012. As with Savou, the hope is that their performances on the sports field will be eye-catching enough that private secondary schools in the UK, called public schools, might offer the pair a full scholarship to continue their studies through to the age of 18.

‘I am so excited that I am getting an opportunity so early like this,’ said Kaitoga, who, as a class three student, broke a 16-year-old sprint record in the U9 75m dash.

‘My dream is to represent my country in Rugby. This is an opportune time to start fulfilling my dream in getting a rugby scholarship. My thanks go to Fiji Rugby Union staff for this and to my teachers for recommending me for the scholarship,’ said Kaitoga who hails from Kumi village in Tailevu.

The link-up between the school in North Yorkshire and the Fiji Rugby Union was initiated by the former Fiji ambassador to the UK and current manager of the Fiji RWC team Pio Bosco Tikoisuva. The selection of the two candidates was handled by the FRU’s Video Analyst/Senior Rugby Development Officer Osea Umuumulovo.

The second candidate, Kelemeti, played centre in the Nasinu side that won the western-based Kaji finals last year.

“I have never dreamed that one day I will get a rugby scholarship,’ said Rotuman Kelemeti. ‘But opportunity only comes once and I will grab it and fulfill some of my childhood dreams.