“It will be good to see whether the Blues and Hurricanes will rest All Blacks players in their squad or the Crusaders game might have made them re-think.”
Swire Shipping Fijian Drua head coach Mick Byrne revealed this in a recent podcast with Super Rugby Pacific commentator Greg Clark.
The Drua will face the Blues at Lautoka’s Churchill Park on April 29 and a week later they face Hurricanes at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
“These are two really good teams. Crusaders rested five of their players in the All Blacks squad when they faced us this season,” Byrne said.
“It will be good to see whether the other New Zealand teams utilise the Drua game in order to give their All Blacks players a rest or the Crusaders game might have got them to re-think,” he said.
Bryne added that it would back-to-to gruelling tests for them when they face top Australian team Brumbies and 2023 Super Rugby Pacific overall leaders Chiefs after their bye week.
“It will be welcome back to Super Rugby Pacific for us but we will also get an indication of where we are when we face these two top teams.
“We will have four of our last six games at home so that is definitely good and with three wins out of six matches and seventh on the points table, I would definitely give the team a pass.”
He added the Drua have definitely improved on their on field discipline in comparison to last season and credits to Drua CEO Mark Evans.
“Last year, the players were caught up in a lot of off-field stuff and we are trying to keep them away and it is reaping benefits this season.”
Bryne said the bye week gives time to recover and rest before the two important clashes in the away games.
