IT was a perfect sporting weekend for keen sports enthusiast, Pravin Chand.
Makoi Bulldogs won the Fiji National Rugby League final and Navua hammered Nadroga 5-1 in the National Football League.
Chand celebrated his birthday in style on Saturday as the Bulldogs, sponsored by his firm Fairtrade Auto Limited, basked in glory with a 12-10 win over Sabeto Roosters.
Together with his wife, he watched that game and then the following day the family travelled to Lawaqa Park to watch a resurgent Navua in action.
Chand, instrumental in Navua football's first major super premier triumph (2003 Fiji FACT), watched Navua lose 0-1 to Rewa a week earlier in Nausori and decided to help get his home team out of the promotion/relegation zone.
"Makoi Bulldogs was the call of the community and Navua the call of the vanua," he offered with a smile on Sunday.
Chand, the man behind Waisale Serevi's move to USA, also manages the wizard's Serevi Rugby Nation in Fiji.
Playing the previously untried 4-4-1-1 formation, with Vineet Singh deployed just behind Inia Boko as the number 10 or second striker and Rajneel and Pranil Chand controlling the central midfield with Sailosi Livatalo and captain Jesoni Takala on either flanks, the Navuans thrived against the Abraham Watkins-coached Coral Coast side.
All the four midfielders and Boko scored a goal each as Navua moved to 13 points, two ahead of Tavua and three points clear of Savusavu.
A win over Tavua this weekend will be enough to steer clear of the promotion/relegation series.
"I just came in for the last two games. We don't want Navua to play the (PR) series," said new team director, Chand.
"The boys were a little demoralised. They needed a bit of motivation together with help on the tactical and technical side of things and we are working on that."
The response, he said, had been terrific and has urged fans to come out in numbers on Sunday to cheer the side.
"We need all Navuans to come together as one this Sunday. Differences, be it personal or professional, need to be put aside. This call is for the district, the vanua and Tui Namosi, Ratu Suliano Matanitobua, who represented Navua and Fiji with great distinction in football. We need to follow our rugby brothers (Namosi) and turn on the style."
Navua is coached by former district and Fiji rep Ramulo Kaibau, assisted by schoolteacher and district youth coach Mohammed Shafeel.