WINNING the collision battle and executing the basics will be the McDonald’s Fijian Drua Women’s biggest priorities when they face the Queensland Reds in their Super W semi-final at Churchill Park on Saturday.
Head coach Mike Legge believes matching the Reds’ physicality will determine whether the Drua book a place in the grand final.
“The collision has been pretty consistent in terms of what wins us games,” Legge said.
“The Reds are a very collision-based side, so we’ve got to make sure we match it and give it back to them tenfold to create opportunities for ourselves.”
Legge said while physical dominance remained the foundation of the Drua’s game, skill execution would be equally important.
“We’ve got to make sure this weekend we execute our skills to score points. Our game this year has always been based around winning the collision and rolling off the back of that.”
The Drua coach expects another bruising contest against a Queensland side built around its powerful forward pack.
“They rely heavily on their scrums, especially around the ball-carrying of Eva Karpani and others. They also have a strong line-out, so we’ve got to nullify their set-piece and put real pressure on them defensively.”
Legge said the team had improved steadily since its opening-round loss to the NSW Waratahs.
“Our girls have built well. Since that first loss, we’ve focused on improving our collision work and getting our starts right.”
He believes the opening 20 minutes will be crucial.
“If we can get our starts right, it goes a long way towards getting a positive result.”
The Drua enter Saturday’s clash as minor premiers after winning their last four matches.
Legge credited the team’s success this season to the competition for places throughout the squad.
“It’s not just the girls who will run out in the starting fifteen and on the bench. We’ve got a really good squad this year.”
“The reason behind the success of the girls so far is because of the players pushing them from behind.”
He added that every player in the squad had contributed to the Drua finishing as Super W minor premiers.
“I’ve got a massive amount of confidence and respect for everyone in our squad. Because of that, we’re travelling well.”
The Drua host Queensland Reds at Churchill Park this Saturday at 1pm.
