THEY knew what was coming and fought till the last whistle, as the points stacked to a staggering 26-69 defeat for the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua against the Crusaders on Friday night.
That’s the word from the Drua captain for this round, Isoa Nasilasila, after their most recent away game loss.
“Obviously, they’re a good Crusaders team and we just couldn’t stop them,” Nasilasila pointed out in a post-match interview.
“They got a good roll on, a good start, so they’re a tough team to stop.”
In that match, the Crusaders were driven to excel by two factors: it was hooker Codie Taylor’s 150th Super Rugby Pacific match and it would also be the last time the team played at the Apollo Projects Stadium before it closes down afterwards.
The Drua meanwhile, were taken forward into this round with the hopes of earning their first away win after a near-grasp of it the week before against the Blues when they led 15-14 in the second half only to be quashed with a 15-40 full-time score instead.
An away win still eludes them as the 2026 Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific competition moves towards its latter stage with round 10 being their next away game in Canberra, Australia against the Brumbies on April 17.
Head coach Glen Jackson admitted the Crusaders were a tough band of players.
“We just didn’t do things that we’d want to do. I think defensively, we didn’t come forward when you lead a team as good as the Crusaders, full of All Blacks and we don’t get off the line and allow gaps,” Jackson said.
“We didn’t work hard enough; I think that’s what happens.”
The Drua take on the Western Force in round nine next Saturday at Churchill Park in Lautoka.
