The Fijian Drua put up a brave fight as they went down 28-33 against the Queensland Reds in their Super Rugby Pacific round 4 match last night at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
The loss sounded a warning to other Super Rugby Pacific teams that the Drua are a force to reckon with.
Down 9-28 with about 14 minutes to go, the Drua took the game to the Australian conference champions – scoring three tries in five minutes to force a draw at 28-all and nine minutes on the clock.
It took a fellow Fijian in Seru Uru to snatch the win for the Reds – first scoring a try and then stealing a Drua line-out in the final play.
All in all, the Drua showed a ‘never say die’ attitude in what was a sterling performance for the competition’s newbies.
Reds skipper Fraser McReight praised the Drua for their performance.
“They can make something out of nothing. When they’re full of confidence they can be hard to stop.”
The Drua’s tries were scored by Onisi Ratave, Joseva Tamani and Vinaya Habosi.
Fly half Teti Tela kicked over three penalties and two conversions.
The Drua conceded less penalties – 10 to the Reds 15.
The Drua trailed 6-15 at half-time.
Other Super Rugby Pacific round 4 results: Crusaders 21-24 Chiefs, Rebels 17-36 Brumbies, Blues 32-20 Highlanders, Hurricanes 21-14 Highlanders.
Super W round 2 results: Reds 12-27 Drua, Rebels 17-17 Brumbies
