THE McDonald’s Fiji Drua Women’s side displayed encouraging signs despite suffering a narrow 29-27 loss to the Queensland Reds in their second Super Rugby Women’s trial match on Sunday night.
Head coach Mike Legge said the match highlighted both the team’s potential and the areas that need improvement before the start of the new season.
“I think the first half really showed what we can do as a team. It was a game of two halves,” Legge said.
The Drua produced a strong opening spell and looked in control for large periods before the Reds fought back in the second half to claim the victory.
Legge revealed that the coaching staff deliberately gave several young players valuable game time against quality opposition as part of the team’s long-term development plans.
“We purposely brought in quite a few of our young girls just to give them a taste of what the top teams are like,” he said.
While disappointed with the result, Legge believes the performance provided important lessons ahead of their next challenge.
“Unfortunately, we went down in that second half. I think we left 10 points out there off the boot. We only got one kick, but it is what it is. We don’t win the competition today.”
The coach remains confident that the side is on track and knows exactly what adjustments need to be made before facing defending champions the NSW Waratahs Women.
Following a demanding travel schedule, player welfare will be a major focus for the team this week.
“The big thing for us is giving these girls a good recovery tomorrow (Monday). The travel schedule has been pretty hectic on them, so we want to make sure we look after their welfare and their bodies before we start proper training on Tuesday.”
Legge also praised young playmaker Varanisese Qoro, who continued to impress with another confident performance.
“Qoro has been going well, and we’ve got to remember she’s a very young player. We try not to put too much pressure on her and just allow her to play as a 10. She showed again what she’s capable of today.”
The fly-half will also be carefully managed during the recovery period as the Drua shift their focus towards the Waratahs showdown.
The Fijiana Drua Women will take on the NSW Waratahs in Round 1 of the Super Rugby Women competition at Leichhardt Oval in Australia at 6pm this Saturday.
McDonald’s Fiji Drua Women wing Michella’e Stolz in action during their second trial match against Reds on Sunday night. Picture: BEN GRIMES
