THE Swire Shipping Fijian Drua will be looking to bounce back quickly when they face the Western Force in Perth tonight, with head coach Glen Jackson calling on his side to put last week’s disappointment behind them and finish the season strongly.
Speaking ahead of the Round 15 clash, Jackson said the message in camp has remained consistent following their loss to the Waratahs in Suva.
“The main message is what it’s always been. It’s a game of rugby that you can’t worry about last week. We had a target of three games, and we got to win two of them. Now we’ve got to win two out of two.
“We’ve moved on very quickly. If we keep hanging about it or listen to people talking about performances, that’s not good for anyone. The boys are getting better at moving on, but it’s still not easy.”
He said the squad has trained and travelled well during the week and is focused on executing their game plan against a strong Western Force side.
“Western Force is a quality team. There’s at least six Wallabies in their forward pack. They’d probably want to be higher on the table with the squad they’ve got,” he said.
Jackson also stressed the importance of starting well, an area the Drua have targeted after a slow opening against the Waratahs.
“One of them is to start well. You’ve got to take credit to the Waratahs, but we know what we need to fix.”
There is also a major milestone looming for dynamic forward Kitione Salawa, who is set to make his 50th Super Rugby Pacific appearance. The Namotomoto, Nadi native becomes only the fifth player in club history to reach the milestone.
The matchday 23 includes the return of Meli Tuni from injury, while Simione Kuruvoli also comes back into the squad.
In the starting forward pack, Tuni starts at loosehead prop alongside hooker Zuriel Togiatama and tight head prop Samuela Tawake. Mesake Vocevoce partners co-captain Temo Mayanavanua in the locks, with Salawa joining Vilive Miramira and Isoa Tuwai in the loose forwards.
Issak Fines-Leleiwasa starts at halfback with Kemu Valetini at flyhalf. The midfield pairing sees Virimi Vakatawa and Maika Tuitubou, while Isikeli Rabitu starts at fullback.
On the bench, Simione Kuruvoli, Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula and Elia Canakaivata are among the impact options as the Drua look to finish their Australian tour on a high against the Force.
