When you play the Brumbies that have now won 13 of their past 14 at their home ground, you simply cannot afford to give them a head start.
The Fijian Drua conceded two converted tries early and trailed 14-0 before they were warmed up.
But from that moment it was ‘game on’ and Mick Byrne’s men went to half time at 21-10 down.
A try early in the second half was disallowed but when Simione Kuruvoli spotted a gap after another dominant scrum for the Drua, it was 21-17.
Coach Byrne was proud of the way the boys fought their way back into the contest, but a few errors late in the game and some solid Brumbies’ defence kept the Drua out and they had to settle for a 28-20 loss.
The Brumbies’ conceded penalty after penalty and it wasn’t until they’d given away a dozen or so straight that the ref issued a yellow card for the home team. Very frustrating indeed.
If you were shown some of the stats, you’d think the Drua had beaten the third placed team from Canberra. Over 25 defenders beaten, more visits into the opposition 22, less missed tackles, and plenty of possession and territory. But it was more disappointment on the road.
The positives outweighed the negatives, but that doesn’t help when you need to accumulate competition points at this time of the season. With other results going the Drua’s way they are still in the Top 8 but only just.
I don’t like to think too much about the Drua’s poor record away from Fiji because other teams also struggle on the road.
The Reds had to wait 25 years to break a very long drought in Christchurch. The Force have a terrible away record but they get the home advantage tonight when they host the Drua.
The Force have lost their past 13 as the away team. But like the Drua, they play their best Rugby at home. So, it’s going to be an intriguing contest tonight as the Drua look to win away from home for the first time since week one last year against Moana Pacific in Auckland.
They decided to stay in Australia after the Brumbies game and spend a full week of training and preparation in Perth so they could get their body clocks in sync.
There’s a four-hour time difference between WA and Fiji. Hopefully the boys switch on from the first whistle.
The Force may have only won two games this season, but the wins were in their last two home games, and they scored four of more tries to set up the victories over the Crusaders and Reds.
Beware the underdog.
Their coach Simon Cron has highlighted the contact zone as the key to deciding tonight’s game.
He’s asked players such Wallaby lock Izack Rodda to step up and help win the collisions.
Cron says it’s hard to review the loss to the Drua in Lautoka in March because the wet conditions made it difficult for both teams to play to their strengths.
But he’s told his players to treat all four remaining games in the regular season as “finals”.
The Force are at the bottom of the ladder but are only seven points behind the eighth placed Drua. In fact, just nine points separate seventh to 12th and the race is on to sneak into the play-offs.
The Drua beat the Force for the first time when they won 31-13 in the Lautoka, but I’m expecting this one to be much closer.
Both teams should be desperate to pick up at least four competition points because time is running out.
The Force are the only team out of the four remaining opponents sitting below the Drua on the points table.
So it goes without saying that the men from Fiji need to break their drought on the road.
Coach Byrne has made just two changes to the match day 23 and I like the fact that there’s some continuity.
The starting pack remains the same and they need to win the physical battle up front.
I like the look of the backline with strike weapons everywhere.
The finishers on the bench will need to add impact late in the game.
The Drua have been preparing in Perth all week, and if they can find a way to win, maybe that’s the answer to winning on the road.
It’s Culture Round in Super Rugby Pacific and fans have been asked to showcase their cultural pride.
Kick-off is around midnight Fiji time.
A late night, but it should be worth staying up for.
