The Swire Shipping Fijian Drua’s hopes of breaking their away-game hoodoo were dashed in emphatic fashion on Friday night as they slumped to a 26-69 defeat to the Crusaders, extending a run of losses on the road and exposing deep defensive frailties. The result, delivered at Apollo Projects Stadium, was a stark reminder of the gulf the Drua still need to close with the competition’s heavyweights.
“We just couldn’t stop them,” captain Isoa Nasilasila said after the match, acknowledging the challenge posed by a red-hot Crusaders outfit. “They got a good roll on, a good start, so they’re a tough team to stop.” The Crusaders arrived with added motivation: veteran hooker Codie Taylor marked his 150th Super Rugby Pacific appearance in the fixture, which also doubled as the club’s last scheduled match at Apollo Projects Stadium before the ground closes.
Head coach Glen Jackson did not disguise his frustration with the way his side surrendered control. “We just didn’t do things that we’d want to do. I think defensively, we didn’t come forward… we don’t get off the line and allow gaps,” Jackson said, pointing to missed opportunities to contain a side “full of All Blacks.” His blunt diagnosis underlines an urgent need for the Drua to shore up their defensive line both in structure and effort as the competition heads towards its business end.
The heavy loss follows a fortnight in which the Drua came agonisingly close to an away breakthrough. In their previous outing against the Blues they led 15-14 in the second half only to be overwhelmed late and go down 15-40 — a pattern of promising starts undermined by second-half lapses that has so far kept the team winless away from home this season. Jackson’s comments suggest the Crusaders result is less an isolated failure and more the culmination of recurring defensive issues.
The schedule affords the Drua a quick chance to regroup. They return home next Saturday to host the Western Force at Churchill Park in Lautoka in round nine, before travelling to Canberra for an away date with the Brumbies on April 17 in round 10. Those fixtures will be pivotal if the Drua are to arrest their slide and restore momentum; a home win in Lautoka would offer a morale boost, while the clash with the Brumbies provides another stern examination of their road form.
For the Crusaders, the night was a fitting send-off at Apollo Projects Stadium and a personal milestone for Taylor, whose 150th appearance supplied extra impetus. For the Drua, the scoreboard and the coaches’ assessments make clear that immediate improvements are required — particularly in defensive organisation and line speed — if they are to convert competitive patches of play into consistent results, home and away alike.
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