Skipper Cup defending champion Suva will once again bank on national 7s squad members Terio Vakatawa, Tira Welagi and Sakiusa Siqila when they take on Nadi in their semi-final match on Saturday at Ratu Cakobau Park.

“The inclusion of national 7s squad members in our match against Ba last week made the difference especially in our backline,” coach Solomoni Nute said.

“We will be banking on their experience again this weekend when we take on Nadi this weekend,” Nute said.

Veilawa’s good kicks were an added bonus, with the others bringing in a lot of influence into the back line.

Nute is confident of defending the title again this year; he believes that his players have what it takes to defend the title.

Suva is treating the semi-final as the final.

After defeating Ba 28-16 last week Nute gave credit to the capital city side saying that the players played brilliantly, showcasing their strength as a team.

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He adds that they would be ironing out their mistakes before their clash against Nadi.

Suva takes on Nadi at 1pm in the first semi-final while Nadroga takes on Naitasiri at 3pm at Ratu Cakobau Park.

The admission fee will be $15 for adults and $5 for children under the age of 12.

In the under-20s, Naitasiri will take on Suva at 9am and Nadroga will play Nadi at 11am at Ratu Cakobau Park.

The ANZ Marama championship will be played on Friday; the under 20s Namosi women will play Nadi at Bidesi Park and Suva will take on Naitasiri at Buckhurst Park. Both games are kicking off at 2pm.

Suva takes on Nasinu at Buckhurst Park in the senior women’s first semi-final and Yasawa plays Namosi at Bidesi Park in the second semi-final with both games kicking off at 4pm.

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