THE Swire Shipping Fijian Drua aims for a complete 80-minute performance when they face the Hurricanes in their third-round clash of the Super Rugby Pacific tomorrow at Churchill Park.
Head coach Glen Jackson says the focus this week has been on allowing the players to express themselves in front of their home fans rather than feeling pressure to perform.
“I haven’t put any pressure on them, we just want to go out and play what they’re good at.
“I think just around what the Drua style is and around just being free. You know we’re excited for the young guys to play in this week,” Jackson said.
“We are looking at better start this week then last week.”
The Drua have spent the week reviewing their last outing against the NSW Waratahs, where they produced a strong 60-minute performance but lacked the experience to close out the match against a side stacked with Wallabies talent.
Jackson acknowledged tomorrow’s challenge will be equally demanding, especially up front.
“Hurricanes have got an unbelievable forward pack.
“So, it’s got to step up in that, put some pressure on our forwards that they need to step up, they need to win this game and give it everything as much as you can to get through the game,” Jackson added.
Despite the tough start to the season, Jackson believes valuable lessons are being learned each week particularly the importance of maintaining composure and execution for the full 80 minutes.
With the backing of the Drua crowd at Churchill Park, the Drua will be hoping those lessons translate into a strong home performance.
