It has been a daily commute for Aleipata College rugby players who have had to wake up at 4 am to make it to the BSP National Schools Rugby Championship at St Joseph’s College in Alafua. 

The U18 boys and girls team is made of 30 boys and 30 girls, as well as six staff members who are helping the students with the competition.

“We wake up and have breakfast together. We (the teachers) make sure that we pack and wrap our student’s lunches so that we do not spend any more money.  It’s around $1,300 for our total transportation costs, so it is always good to pack our food so we don’t spend more,” head coach of the U18s Fuaimamao Lefata of Lotopue. 

The College has done its best with the U18 girls vying for third place after losing in the semi-finals while the boys will be playing in the fifth-place finals on Friday.

"Our girls cannot develop the way we want them to if the referees and officials are not developing themselves. It would be nice if Lakapi Samoa could come out to Aleipata and teach our upcoming generation the proper rules of rugby, because out there the students are not as exposed as kids here in Apia," said Lefata.

"Playing rugby is also really good for the kids, for those kids who don't really do well in academics but are really good in sports can feel uplifted in a way. When the children do well in rugby, they give something for their parents to be proud of."

Vyola Messina Kolose, the half-back of the team and captain of the backs after their game against Palauli I Sisifo "Even though I am small, I still try and tackle those bigger girls - I always want to try and push our team so that we can get some points on the score board." 

Fiasamoa Talaimalo, her teammate and captain of the forwards, said, "My talent is rugby. There is rugby influence in Aleipata but not enough exposure to the real deal. For this competition, we want people to see that the girls of Aleipata College have a future in rugby." 

Their head coach, Fuaimamao Lefata of Lotopue, said it has been a challenging competition because some referees do not know how to ref properly. 

Meanwhile the hosts of the competition, St. Joseph's College has made the Cup finals in all the boys divisions while Wesley College has been a powerhouse in the girls.

The finals will be played on Friday.