The Swire Shipping Fijian Drua held off a determined Western Force to claim a nervy 24-22 victory in Round 9 of the Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific at Churchill Park yesterday, surviving a late comeback to delight the Lautoka crowd. The win came after a bruising 80 minutes that swung repeatedly between the two sides and featured two sin-bins, a debut try and several missed kicks that left the outcome in doubt until the final moments.
The hosts made a rocky start, coughing up possession and conceding territory inside the opening five minutes. Matters were compounded when Etonia Waqa was shown a yellow card for obstruction, leaving the Drua a man short and giving the visitors the platform they needed. Western Force exploited the advantage from a lineout five metres out, with Misinale Epenisa crashing over in the 6th minute. Ben Donaldson’s successful conversion gave the visitors an early 7-0 lead.
The Drua steadied and reasserted themselves midway through the first half with a string of set-piece plays. In the 20th minute a lineout throw over the back found Tuidraki Samusamuvodre, and after phases that threatened the Force defence, Motikiai Murray kept the movement alive before releasing Penaia Cakobau to score. Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula’s conversion levelled the scores. The home team continued to build momentum: Armstrong-Ravula sliced through for a try on the half-hour mark and added the extras to put the Drua 14-7 ahead. Four minutes later Virimi Vakatawa’s break created space for Isikeli Rabitu to finish a sweeping Fijian move, extending the lead to 19-7 at halftime despite Armstrong-Ravula missing the conversion.
The Force returned with urgency in the second half, and winger Dylan Pietsch crossed for their second try to narrow the margin. A tactical touch-finder from Kurtley Beale in the 58th minute then set up a crash over by captain Jeremy Williams, though the conversion attempt was unsuccessful. The Drua answered almost immediately when Nadroga debutant Isikeli Basiyalo powered over in the 60th minute — his first try in the green and blue — to restore a 24-17 advantage, even as Armstrong-Ravula again missed with the boot.
Tensions rose late when Ilaisa Droasese was sin-binned for foul play in the 69th minute, handing the Force another opening. They seized it two minutes later when Will Harris dotted down to make it 24-22, but Kurtley Beale’s conversion attempt slid wide. The visitors were awarded a penalty in the 77th minute that would have snatched victory, yet the shot sailed wide and the Drua held on.
The result keeps the Drua’s home form intact after an erratic performance that nevertheless produced moments of creativity and grit. The match will be remembered for Basiyalo’s eye-catching debut, the two yellow/red moments that shaped the tempo, and a late miss that ultimately denied the Force a remarkable comeback.
Leave a comment