THE Fijian Drua come fresh off their away win against the ACT Brumbies to take on a huge task, a showdown against the Waikato Chiefs in Christchurch.
Reflecting on last week’s first away win against the Brumbies in Canberra, Head Coach Glen Jackson says his team is excited for another big challenge this week.
“We’re bloody stoked. We put a lot of work into getting an away win, and it was great that we did it,” said Jackson.
“We’ve got guys that have played over 50 caps and about 800 odd Super Rugby caps for the whole team. We also have players who have played overseas for a long time to look for inspiration on how to perform away from home.”
The coach praised the efforts of senior players and the leadership group for stepping up in the crucial moments. Virimi Vakatawa, Manasa Mataele, and Temo Mayanavanua, who once played for big overseas teams, have made invaluable contributions to the growth of professionalism in the team to foster some incredible wins in recent weeks.
However, the injury list remains a worry for the Drua as they press on through to the latter part of the season. The back-three department has the highest injury count, which includes Ponipate Loganimasi, Epeli Momo, Joji Nasova, and, most recently, Isikeli Basiyalo.
Taniela Rakuro comes back in to replace Basiyalo, who is on a 12-day stand-down after suffering a concussion last week. Regular outside centre Tuidraki Samusamuvodre has joined the injury list this week. He will be replaced by 22-year-old debutant Maika Tuitubou.
To strengthen their defense around the breakdowns, Frank Lomani returns and will start at halfback. Simione Kuruvoli will be Lomani’s cover on the bench while Issak Fines-Leleiwasa is rested this week. The coach has also opted to sit Isoa Nasilasila and Elia Canakaivata on the bench after their huge contributions this season.
Jackson hinted that the breakdowns would be a massive focus area for both teams, indicating that control of the breakdowns would secure the match. The Chiefs will be full of confidence coming into this game after they defeated the current tournament leaders, the Hurricanes, last week.
The match kicks off this Sunday at 4:30 pm (FT).
