The Fijian Drua get a chance this week to free itself from the bottom rung of the Super Rugby Pacific 2022 standings, having been lined up against the Melbourne Rebels in what is also their first home game of the season.
Like the Drua, the Rebels have also been winless in their last two encounters, but are 11th on the standings, one better than the Fijian franchise, on account of having a better points difference.
Drua head coach and captain Mick Byrne and Nemani Nagusa noted improvements but also the missed chances in their 42-3 defeat by the Brumbies last weekend. The Drua’s only points came from a penalty via fullback Baden Kerr. The Brumbies led 20-3 at half-time.
“We tried to prepare ourselves for the week to bring a little respect in our play, but we were stuck between wanting to play and respecting the ball,” Byrne said.
“We are going to get better every week. We will get back to our base and prepare ourselves again.”
The Drua forwards showed massive improvement in their scrums from the side that lost to Waratahs in their round one game but fell short in the finishing.
“We did well, but we didn’t convert it to points. We will work on it this week,” Nagusa said.
The Drua are 12th on the standings with a -69 points difference compared to the Rebels with -43.
The Drua versus Rebels game is scheduled for 8.45 pm (Fiji Time) this Friday, 4 March at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
