HOME games for the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua do play an important part for the team to have a high chance of success in the Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific competition.
These were the sentiments of the club’s general manager commercial Shane Hussein following the confirmation of Churchill Park in Lautoka and Four R Electrical, Govind Park in Ba as the venue of next season’s round nine and 12 matches against the Western Force and the Highlanders respectively.
Hussein affirmed the home game locations as a key factor in helping the Fijian Drua move towards the competition’s play-offs.
“Absolutely – home game locations play a huge role with successes of not just the Drua but every team,” Hussein shared.
“Every team wants to have as many home games in a familiar, comfortable environment as much as possible because it drastically increases the chances of successes.”
Since their entry into the Super Rugby Pacific competition, the Fijian Drua have had a higher success rate in home matches than when they played away, and most of these wins were recorded at Churchill Park, which has since been dubbed “The Fortress” by rugby pundits.
And following the successful hosting of the FMF Inter-District Championship at Govind Park last month, where more than 13,000 people attended the grand final between Ba and Rewa, the stakes are about to even higher for the Drua as they sat sail next year.
Hussein said with the fixtures confirmed, planning for those highly anticipated matches, which attract massive in-person attendance figures and television audiences across Fiji and the world, the team starts preparing accordingly.
“The Fijian Drua is no different,” Hussein highlighted.
“Having our home games now decided for 2026 allows our team, our players, our coaching staff to plan for the season ahead and it’s a very exciting time.”
The Fijian Drua set sail next season when they meet Moana Pasifika in their first match of the season at home, at Churchill Park, kicking off at 3.30pm.
