Source – Wikipedia
The Deans Trophy is the top prize of the Fiji Secondary Schools Rugby Union (FSSRU) competition. The competition introduced in 1939 is the oldest competitive tournament in Fiji rugby. It was first won by Queen Victoria School (QVS). Ratu Kadavulevu School (RKS) is the current defending champions of the Deans Trophy.
For the first time in its 74-year history, Ratu Navula College, a school from the Western Division of the main island of Fiji, Viti Levu, had won the coveted trophy in the 2013 FSSRU Coke Zero Deans Competition. Ratu Navula College’s Dream Team was undefeated from the Under 15 grade in 2010 right up to the Under 18 Grade in 2013.
QVS has won the Deans Trophy 22 times and drawn 6 times. QVS won the Deans Trophy in the Under 18 grade in 2011 when the decision was made to lower the Deans Trophy Competition from Under 19 to the Under 18 age group. The QVS Dream Team retained the Deans Trophy in 2012 undefeated from Under 14 in 2008 till Under 18 in 2012.
Lelean Memorial School (LMS), has won the trophy 14 times and drawn five times. Lelean first won the Deans Trophy in 1944. Lelean last won the Deans in 2014. Lelean had set a record in 1955 by winning all trophies on offer which were, Midget, Junior, Intermediate and Senior Grades. This record has since been equalled by Ratu Kadavulevu School in 2017.
Ratu Kadavulevu School (RKS) has won the trophy 21 times and drawn 5 times. RKS first won the trophy in 1961. RKS holds the record for the longest defence of the Deans Trophy from 1980 to 1985. RKS again won the Deans Trophy in 2015 after a lapse of 10 years since sharing with Suva Grammar School in 2005. In the 2017 Fiji Secondary School’s Rugby Union Competition, RKS became the second school to win all the trophies on offer of the Fiji Secondary School Rugby Union competition.
Marist Brothers High School has won the Deans Trophy on four occasions and drawn twice. They first won in 1965. Their Under 18 Dream Team was unfortunate to lose out narrowly to RKS in 2015.
Latter Day Saints (LDS) College, Nasinu Teachers’ College, Navuso Agricultural College and Suva Grammar School (SGS) have each won the trophy once. SGS also drew with RKS in 2005.
The original Deans Trophy was donated by the Maori All Blacks team that toured Fiji in 1938 to be competed for by the Secondary Schools of Fiji. It is now kept at the Fiji Museum in Suva.
In 2000, Post Fiji Limited became official sponsors of Fiji Secondary Schools’ Rugby and a new Deans Trophy was unveiled. This Deans Trophy was first won by Lelean Memorial School (LMS) in 2000. Suva Grammar School led by Jo Maitiro won the trophy for the first time in their school’s history in 2001. RKS won the Deans Trophy in 2002. In 2003, the RKS dream team was defeated by QVS in the final. In 2004 this Deans Trophy was shared between QVS and LMS for the last time.
In 2005, there was no sponsor for the FSSRU and a wooden replica of the original Deans Trophy was made. This Deans Trophy was shared between SGS and RKS in 2005. The Lelean Memorial School (LMS) Dream Team won it in 2006. This LMS Under-19 team drubbed the Dream Team was undefeated from the Under 15 grade in 2002 until they won the Deans Trophy in the Under 19 grade in 2006. In 2007, QVS won this version of the Deans Trophy for the last time and it coincided with their 100 years Centennial Celebrations that year.
In 2008, the Coca-Cola (Amatil) company became the official sponsors of Fiji Secondary Schools’ Rugby and donated a fiberglass replica of the original Deans Trophy. Lelean was the first school to win the new sponsored trophy and won it on consecutive years in 2009 and 2010. Lelean had by that time opened a Rugby Academy and was bearing the fruits of it. At the end of that year 2010, the FSSRU decided to move the Deans Competition one age group lower to the Under 18 grade in the following year, 2011.
QVS won the Deans Trophy in 2011 and 2012. Ratu Navula College won it in 2013, and Lelean Memorial School (LMS) won it in 2014. In 2015, Ratu Kadavulevu School (RKS) won it after a tense final with the Marist Brothers High School First XV.
In 2016 QVS won the Deans Trophy over a strong MBHS team.
In the Fiji Secondary School’s Rugby Union competition finals of 2017, RKS won all the Age Level grades from the Under 14 to Under 19 grades.
The Deans Trophy Records are as follows:
Deans Trophy Champions
1939-QVS (Queen Victoria School)
1940-QVS
1941-QVS
1942-QVS
1943-QVS
1944-LMS (Lelean Memorial School)
1945-PSS (Provincial School Southern – later to be moved to Lodoni, Tailevu and renamed Ratu Kadavulevu School, RKS)
1946-PSS
1947-QVS
1948-LMS
1950-LMS/NTC (Nasinu Teachers’ College)
1951-LMS
1952-LMS/QVS
1953-QVS
1954-LMS/QVS
1955-LMS
1956-QVS
1957-QVS
1958-NO COMPETITION (Due an epidemic that had struck Fiji in that year)
1959-LMS
1960-LMS
1961-RKS
1962-RKS
1963-RKS/QVS
1964-RKS
1965-MBHS
1966-QVS
1967-NAS (Navuso Agricultural School)
1968-QVS
1969-MBHS (Marist Brothers High School)
1970-QVS
1971-RKS
1972-LMS/MBHS
1973-RKS
1974-QVS
1975-RKS
1976-MBHS
1977-MBHS
1978-RKS/MBHS
1979-LMS
1980-RKS
1981-RKS
1982-RKS
1983-RKS
1984-RKS
1985-RKS
1986-LDS (Latter Day Saints College)
1987-RKS
1988-RKS
1989-RKS/QVS
1990-RKS/QVS
1991-RKS
1992-RKS
1993-RKS
1994-LMS
1995-RKS
1996-QVS
1997-QVS
1998-QVS
1999-QVS
2000-LMS
2001 – SGS (Suva Grammar School)
2002 – RKS
2003 – QVS
2004 – QVS/LMS
2005 – RKS/SGS
2006 – LMS
2007 – QVS
2008 – LMS
2009 – LMS
2010 – LMS
2011 – QVS
2012 – QVS
2013 – RNC (Ratu Navula College)
2014 – LMS
2015 – RKS
2016 – QVS
2017 – RKS
