Itu O Tane College (IOTC) rugby players are sleeping on the hard floor while they camp at Tuanaimato but this is just a little bump that they do not mind on their road to winning the BSP National Schools Rugby Championships.

The school has brought five teams for the Schools Rugby Championships and they have already made a statement on the first day of the competition despite challenges.

With the help of their community, the principal, and the wider board, the five teams safely arrived in Upolu on Sunday.

There are over 120 students, teachers, and helpers from the college who have travelled for the rugby event. They are the reigning champions from Savai’i and have brought their best players to defend their title. 

Despite the usual challenges of transporting such a large group, they have successfully managed to do so. Allie Faletolu, the school's principal, is confident in their ability to perform well.

However, in terms of preparation before the competition, the rugby teams have had to overcome some obstacles. 

"The challenge about training is that we don't have that much equipment to use," said Faletolu.

"We don't have professional training, we don't have equipment like tackle bags, scrum machines, and other things." 

The teams remained committed to the sport having the coaches come up with ideas of how to incorporate basic skills for the students to learn. According to Faletolu, it was important for the students to play rugby to develop their talent and to gain exposure.

"Rugby is becoming an important game on this side of the world. So it's a good idea to promote and motivate the young ones to play rugby so they could become good rugby players for Samoa," said Faletolu.

The team consisted of two under-14 teams, two under-16 teams, and one under-18 girls' team. The under-18 boys' team could not compete due to player shortage. 

The school teams are currently camping at the High-Performance Unit in Tuanaimato.  They are provided with accommodation and facilities for the players. 

The team does not have any mattresses to sleep on but the principal is grateful for the shelter.

“Since we have accommodation, we have something for the kids to sleep in. We have water, electricit and a kitchen, we have everything for us to use. That is more important,” said Faletolu.

Captain of IOTC  U18 girls, Mondchedenia Moe Elise said she enjoys rugby and is confident that her team will do well in the coming days of the competition. 

"I play rugby because my dad played. He wanted me to carry on his legacy of rugby and I'm doing just that," said Elise. 

She is a lock forward and although they did not have any tackling bags to train with, Elise still found the training and preparation stages fun ahead of this tournament.

Matagia Neru and Tulāfalealii Soma, captain and vice-captain of the U16 boys team, said they play rugby because it is fun, and both have high hopes for their future rugby careers.

"I play because I want to be able to play in the Manu Samoa team," said Neru. 

Soma added that he, too, wanted to represent Samoa on the world stage, playing the sport he loves, "I want to be able to wave the Samoan flag proudly as a Manu Samoa player," he said.

Both teams lost in their games on Monday but hope for a better result on Wednesday when they compete against other schools. The competition days are Wednesday, 24 April, and Friday, 26 April. 

Schools in the competition are: Avele College, Aana No 2 College, Aleipata College, Alofi o Taoa College, Amoa College, Church College Pesega, Tuasivi College, Itu O Tane College, Itu O Asau College, Leififi College, Leulumoega Fou College, Lefaga College, Nuuausala College, Palalaua College, Palauli i Sisifo College, St Joseph's Colege, Sagaga College, Safata College, Vaimauga College, Wesley College.