THE Fijian Drua are desperate for a win against the Western Force to boost the spirits of the nation, still feeling the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Vaianu.
After two consecutive losses on tour in New Zealand, the memories of their last 38-7 against the Force will be a distant memory for the home side.
“We want to play well. We want to play rugby. I know the boys are super excited to get back here,” Head Coach Glen Jackson said.
“You can see and feel the tension, and that is fair enough. We’ve gone down the last couple of weeks playing the best teams in the competition. But we’ve got to make sure we move on from there.”
But the Force are coming off a huge 42 -19 upset against the Queensland Reds last weekend.
“They had a great win, a little bit of a surprise win. And after reviewing the Force, they have been playing really well in the past few weeks,” Jackson said.
“We’ve also talked to the players about the good potential in making the top six. We’ve got to make sure that we are back home and really put a performance together that people will be proud of.’’
The Force have a few big names in their team, and the Drua coach knows how lethal they can be.
Despite the training disruptions this week due to the severe harsh weather conditions, the coach has relied upon his usual starters in the engine room, but made changes in the loose forwards and the backline.
“Obviously, we gave Tuidraki Samusamuvodre a rest from the Crusaders game. He has played a lot of minutes this season and has been our outstanding 13. Iosefo Namoce has been good. So hopefully a good partnership with those two linking back up,” he said.
“We’ve got our standard tight-five. Motikai Murray will come back in at open-side flanker. He’s had a couple of weeks off, so he’s looking really fit and ready to go. A bit of a change around in the back three. We are excited about Isikeli Basiyalo getting his first opportunity on the wing this year. Isaia Droasese will move to the left wing, and Isikeli Rabitu will come in at fullback.”
After eight rounds of competition, the Drua and the Force are locked with eight points each on the overall table. The Drua have dropped from ninth to tenth place after conceding two consecutive losses.
