Fijian Drua skipper Meli Derenalagi said they had expected the Moana Pacifica to come out hard during their clash at Churchill Park in Lautoka on Saturday.
The Swire Shipping-sponsored side managed to rekindle their chances at the quarter-finals after scraping past the Moana Pasifika 47-46.
“We knew they would be very physical and quick in their attacks, but I think the boys did a good job in holding the fort,” the flanker said.
Derenalagi said their match on Saturday against their Pacific counterpart brought to light a lot of areas they needed to work on.
“There’s a lot of things that we need to work on, especially us the forwards. I think consistency is one of the key factors that we really need to work on.”
He also mentioned they are expecting a similar battle when they face the Reds this weekend, and would need to sharpen their defense to take on the Australian based club.
“The Reds will be coming out hard too this weekend, and we need to up our defense in order to counter this strong side.
“We will have to pull up our socks when we face the Reds, it is a very important game for us and we hope to get the result we want.”
Derenalagi said they would need to work twice as hard as they did on Saturday when they face the Reds.
“We will be focusing on our mauls, which is one of the areas we are trying to perfect.”
