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Kalihi Carries Banner for Hawaii

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Kalihi Carries Banner for Hawaii

Finau gets some attention from Montana. Photo courtesy Rugby Oregon.

“We just buckled down,” said center/fullback Sioaosi Pakileata about his team’s strong finish. “Our coach said to rest up, not play stupid, and pass the ball.”

Kalihi had plenty of pace but didn’t use it the first day.

“We were all tired, and got down on ourselves,” Pakileata said. “Hawaiian rugby is building. We’re getting better. We’ve got a lot of hard teams, and the rugby is pretty good, but it’s tough to play other teams. We’d like more games. Hey, come to us, or we’ll come to you and play.”

The team approach to rugby has been attractive to the players - many of whom play football. The rugby team is more fun, said Pakileata.

Also fun was watching No. 8 Alberdean Finau, a massive player who probably projects as a prop if he’s not playing defensive end on a college football team sometime soon.

The 16-year-old powered over for a couple of tries, including a midfield eightman pick that turned the game around against Montana.

“I just told myself, do it for the team, and wanted to make a play to motivate them,” said Finau. “We brushed off the first games and came back. We learned a lot.”

Finau normally plays No. 8, but to GRR’s educated eye he looked like a prop. We said that to him and he shrugged good-naturedly and said “no problem.”

These are just two examples of the talent in Hawaii. The coaches in the state are trying to get the players exposed to better play, and perhaps it’s adjusting to game plans and playing as a cohesive unit that is what they need to fund. But they are athletic and work enormously hard.

“I love football,” said Finau, who has interest from Oregon and Washington State. “But I love rugby too. I love them both.”