FLYING from Nadi to Perth in Western Australia is a 12-hour trip across the South Pacific and connecting from Sydney in the east to get to the fourth-most-populous city ‘Down Under’.
And for the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua, the half-day journey may give them a lot to think about regarding last week’s 35-50 defeat by the Waratahs, their performance this season and how the match against the Western Force may bring back the memory of last year’s 15-52 defeat there.
It was the Drua’s biggest loss of the season, and one where head coach Glen Jackson could not hold back on describing it as a disappointing loss which “seemed like the boys were on a holiday for eight days” instead.
Getting to Perth now may evoke a similar feeling of gloom and uncertainty as the squad needs to win this match and the next one against the Queensland Reds to keep any hopes of making into the play-offs of the Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific season alive to hold off the writings appearing on the wall.
However, with two crucial matches ahead of them being the key points to conclude the season, both Jackson and co-captain Temo Mayanavanua have affirmed how the team’s service and commitment towards delivering their best remained a firm priority.
Mayanavanua told reporters on Saturday his team was disappointed at the loss they left Suva with and admitted it was not good enough.
And Jackson said he bore the full brunt of the blame and took responsibility for the 23-men fared against the Waratahs on Saturday.
In highlighting how both the Drua and the ‘Tahs played since they both had a lot on the line, he was also apologetic of the result.
“I’ll apologise to them as much as I can; it’s under my helm and then we’ll move onto the next season,” he said.
And as the Drua land in the City of Light, the onus to continue shattering the away-game jinx following their 33-28 victory over the Brumbies in Canberra last month continues to shine even brighter.
The match kicks off at 9.35pm this Saturday.
