The rise of the Fijian Drua is not to be exaggerated. In this, their third year in Super Rugby Pacific, 70 per cent of Fijians expect them to be as good, or better than the Crusaders, the Blues or the Brumbies.
They are getting there.
One advantage those other New Zealand and Australian teams have, is that their players have been competing at the peak of rugby in their own domestic competitions for decades.
Fitness is at the extreme levels.
Knowledge of rugby rules is at a higher percentile and with this decades of experience, they know how to niggle the Fijian Drua players into losing their composure and committing penalties.
The Drua have shown sporadic bursts of concentrated clean running, error free and great defensive rugby.
The key word being sporadic.
Like newbies on finding out that they match the fitness levels and strength of the New Zealand and Australian rugby players, the Drua play a match to see who is tougher, rather on winning the match!
The most important object on a rugby pitch is the rock, the pill, the rugby ball. You need to retain it.
At every breakdown, ruck and maul defence, the objective is that rock.
Retain it and on attack use it expansively, wisely with the innate talent infused in all Fijian rugby players and make it count everytime!
Fight for and protect that rock like your rugby futures depend on it. And most importantly like the 7s player, Bolaca said, “don’t tired!”
Only one more game to determine whether we can play an extra 240 minutes of rugby or not? Go out there Fijian Drua and make it happen. ‘Soko Drua Soko!’
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