The Fijian Drua celebrated a landmark 42-27 victory over the ACT Brumbies on Saturday at Govind Park in Ba, but coach Glen Jackson warned that persistent indiscipline threatened to undermine the win. Jackson singled out repeated offsides that led to two sin-binings as a major concern, saying the team “can’t continue to play with 14 men.”
Mesake Doge and Elia Canakaivata were both sent to the sin bin during the match for infringements tied to offsides, forcing the Drua to defend for extended periods a man short. Jackson acknowledged the forwards and backline “defended unbelievably well” during those spells, especially close to their own tryline, but stressed the indiscretions were avoidable. “Our discipline was not good enough. It was unacceptable because we had two guys in the bin just because of something like an offside,” he said in a post-match press conference.
The victory was historic for the Drua — their first-ever win over the Brumbies — and came in front of a vocal crowd at Govind Park, the team’s first fixture at the newly prepared ground in the cane-growing town of Ba. Jackson praised the Ba Town Council for their work on the venue and thanked supporters who travelled to the more remote venue. “It’s not an easy place to get to. We know the supporters came in early this morning…it was certainly a great occasion to celebrate,” he said.
Despite the breakthrough result, Jackson lamented missed opportunities. The Drua had been on course for a bonus-point victory but saw the extra point slip away in the 80th minute after giving away too many penalties, a frustration he tied back to lapses in discipline. Captain Frank Lomani admitted the side made crucial errors but said quick coaching adjustments and trust in their system allowed the team to recover. “Then the messages from our coaches saying that we needed to stick to our system, trust it, and react to what’s in front of us. And I think we did very well doing that,” Lomani said.
Fly-half Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula drew particular praise from Jackson for his growing influence on the team. Jackson highlighted Armstrong-Ravula’s accurate goal-kicking, effective 50-22s and cross-field kicks, and suggested the No.10 is evolving into a key playmaker. “Izzy is growing each time we play…We just have to give him enough time, and 10 is going to be awesome for him,” the coach said.
The win moves the Drua to eighth place on the Super Rugby 2026 table with two wins and two losses. It provides a bright moment after a mixed start to the campaign that included defeats to Moana Pasifika and the New South Wales Waratahs. Jackson’s message was clear: while the result and the crowd in Ba were positives, reducing penalties and correcting offside discipline will be essential if the Drua are to build on this milestone and climb the standings.
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