Young Swire Shipping Fijian Drua flyhalf Isaiah Armstrong Ravula will miss the Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific clash against the Hurricanes on Friday.
Head coach Mick Byrne confirmed in a press conference yesterday that Ravula has been released to be with his family following the passing of a loved one.
“It’s a sad time for his family and our condolences go out to him and his family. He comes from a tight family; a very strong rugby family and our thoughts are with them this week.
“We are going to miss Isi, there’s no question, he has been going well for us but as a young player he was due for a break as well,” Byrne said.
Ravula has not missed any game in the past seven rounds and his absence gives a chance for other players in the team to step up and fill the void.
“Isikeli (Isikeli Ravula) has been training well, Kemu (Kemu Valetini) does the job for us, and we got Tui (Tuidraki Samusauvodre) there as well who has been doing some good work for us.
“So, it gives another opportunity for a player to step up and the good thing is we know that while Isikeli was playing out of position, he already had Super Rugby experience. We know what Kemu can do, he kicked the winning penalty last year and he has done the same thing this year so, he is a good calming influence around our team,” Bryne added.
Ravula, the Fiji under-20 star, has been a pivot at kicking duties since joining the Drua this season, quickly showing maturity and has been a first choice in the number 10 jersey. In the current Super Rugby Pacific statistics, Ravula is fifth on points with 65 so far.
The Drua hosts the undefeated Hurricanes on Friday, 7.05pm at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
