SUPER Rugby Pacific chief executive Jack Mesley is looking forward to seeing how Ba will host the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua and the ACT Brumbies for the first time in the Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific this season.
In an interview with Times Sport in Auckland, New Zealand yesterday, Mesley expressed his interest in seeing how the soccer crazy town will host them at 4R Electrical, Govind Park.
“Really looking forward to seeing how Ba goes this year, with the Drua playing the Brumbies in Ba at a new stadium,” he said.
This is the latest high-profile sporting event the park will host, the previous one being the 2025 FMF Inter-District Championship, which recorded a crowd turnout of 13,118 people on its final day in October last year.
It will also host another Drua home match when they meet the Highlanders there on Saturday, March 21.
Meanwhile, Mesley has also commended the Fijian Drua for becoming a well-known and highly noticeable part of Fiji to the world.
“I mean, it’s clear; the first thing you notice when you arrive in Fiji is just how present the Drua is,” Mesley said.
He shared those sentiments when asked what impact did visiting Fiji last year to watch a Fijian Drua home game at Churchill Park in Lautoka leave on him.
“Whether that’s been through the sponsorships and seeing the Drua players all over shop windows, the sides of buses and so that was amazing to see.”
Mesley added the impact was even more apparent with home crowds in Suva at the HFC Bank Stadium or in Lautoka.
“And then the match-day is just such high energy; I think they do a great job of the match-day experience but the fans bring so much of that energy and they are so passionate.”
The Drua meet the Brumbies in Ba on Saturday, March 14, at 3.30pm.
The Fijian franchise open the season against Moana Pasifika on February 14 at Churchill Park in Lautoka.
