Proud ex-students of Itu-o-Tane College, currently residing in Australia, flew all the way to Samoa just to donate three different uniforms for both the school’s men’s and women’s rugby teams. Salevi Leota, Siolona Leota, and Vaasili Leota raised funds for the blue jerseys, while the black and red jerseys belong to the club in Melbourne where they currently play, but they also decided to bring them to Samoa.
The brothers are no strangers to rugby, as it was their pathway to receiving scholarships back in the day to study and upgrade their rugby skills abroad. In an interview with this media outlet, Salevi clarified the reasons for their incredible donation. “As someone who loves this sport, my rugby journey started at Itu-o-Tane College, where I learned so much. My brothers and I will not forget where the journey began. Therefore, we felt in our hearts that it is our time to give back to the school we attended when we were younger.”
The siblings want to be part of the development of rugby at Itu-o-Tane School, and they hope that students from there will be selected for the Manu Samoa or Manu Sina teams. The donation was presented to the college on the 20th of December last year, but a special ceremony to launch these three new uniforms (rugby jerseys) took place last week.
One of the brothers, Salevi, left Itu-o-Tane College and joined Leififi College when he was selected from his village’s club (Avao) to join Samoa’s U19 team in Apia, where his new team won 27 tournaments. In 2005, Mr. Leota entered Avele College and became part of the 1st XV. Furthermore, he participated in three World Cups for Samoa’s U20 and two U18s before being awarded a rugby scholarship at St. Thomas of Canterbury College in Christchurch from 2006-2007. The 35-year-old was also selected for the Canterbury Academy and had the chance to play for Canterbury U19 and U21, along with Canterbury B.
His other two siblings also had their own unique journeys, according to Salevi Leota. “We always remember our humble beginnings.” Itu-o-Tane is one of the schools in Savaii that boasts good rugby teams, often shining during inter-college tournaments.
