A SELL-OUT out crowd packed Ba’s 4R Stadium to see the Fijian Drua take their first win over the Brumbies after eight matches in the Super Rugby competition.
The Drua were fired up from the start, and with a vocal crowd, their forwards rumbled up the middle with possession, and early pressure turned into points with a penalty to Isaiah Armstrong.
A rattled Brumbies quickly reorganized, and the backline provided a chance for Kadin Pritchard to grubber through and send Hudson Creighton over for a try in the corner.
The Drua replied by piling on the pressure, forcing errors, and lanky blindside flanker, Etonia Waqa, sidestepped the defence before galloping in to score.
The conversion was successful, and Drua led 10 – 5.
Sairusi Ravudi played well at hooker for the Drua after a last-minute withdrawal for Zuriel Togiatama, who was reportedly ill.
A wave of pick and go moves by the big Brumbies pack saw second rower Toby Machperson crash over the tryline. The conversion was good. Brumbies 12-10
Then the Drua lost Mesake Doge and Elia Canakaivata to the sin bin. It could have been costly for the Drua, but they somehow competed well despite the two-man disadvantage.
Armstrong-Ravula had an excellent day with the boot and slotted in another penalty to take the Drua ahead 13-12.
Canakaivata made up for his mistake when he returned to play and scored in the 36th minute to give the Drua an eight-point lead.
The legs seemed heavy at the start of the second half, but an unusual kick from Waqa deep into Brumbies territory gave the Drua a vital opportunity to earn more points. They opted for a driving maul from a lineout, and debutant hooker Ravudi scored. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
The Drua followed with another attacking wave as the Ba skies opened up. Their lineouts were spot on, and the passes stuck despite the conditions. Then Armstrong-Ravula kicked an outrageous crosskick to Joji Nasova, who, out wide, released a timely offload for Ilaisa Droasese to dive into the right corner.
But the Brumbies were not done yet. They scored two consecutive tries as they tried to catch up. The score was 32 – 22 heading into the last 20 minutes.
Fly-half Armstrong-Ravula extended the Drau lead with another successful penalty goal.
Then Drua, outside center Tuidraki Samusamuvodre, chipped a kick for himself to regather before he offloaded to Droasese. The try was Fijian rugby at its best.
By now, the Brumbies were running out of steam, but they had the final say with a consolation try.
In the end, the Drua ran away with the convincing 42 – 27 historic home win.