The Swire Shipping Fijian Drua have moved their Super Rugby Pacific preparations to Christchurch after a week in Auckland as they gear up to meet the Crusaders in what coach Glen Jackson called “a bit of history” — the last match ever at the Crusaders’ ground. The side flew south yesterday following a stay in Auckland that combined hotel-based organisation and on-field preparation ahead of their round-seven clash with the Blues at Eden Park.
The Drua were based at the Crowne Plaza Hotel by IHG while in Auckland and took advantage of nearby sporting facilities and additional training grounds around the City of Sails to sharpen up. Jackson described the Auckland period as a focused preparatory phase aimed at readying the squad for back-to-back tests against quality New Zealand opposition. He spoke to media in a virtual press conference on Tuesday, saying the time in Auckland allowed the team to “get everything organised for such a big game.”
Tomorrow’s match is a significant challenge. The Crusaders enter the encounter as the defending Super Rugby Pacific champions and will host the Drua at the Apollo Projects Stadium, with kickoff set for 6.05pm. Jackson emphasised the added motivation of playing the final match at the Crusaders’ ground, noting the historical aspect would lift his players as they attempt to overturn a narrow head-to-head deficit: the two teams have met five times previously, with the Crusaders holding a 3-2 advantage.
The Drua arrive in Canterbury having faced a testing early-season run. In recent weeks they suffered a heavy 36-13 loss to the Waratahs in Sydney — a defeat Jackson attributed in previous press conferences to short turnarounds and travel demands — and they also fell to Moana Pasifika earlier in the campaign. Those results have underlined the importance of careful management, recovery and preparation on the road, which team management sought to address during the Auckland stay.
Jackson struck a cautiously optimistic tone about his side’s prospects, praising their previous competitiveness against the Crusaders and stressing the value of having final logistical details settled in Auckland before heading to Christchurch. “Obviously, we’re excited to play the last game ever at the Crusaders’ ground so it creates a bit of history and I know the boys are motivated,” he said, framing the fixture as both a significant occasion and a stern on-field test.
For the Drua, the match represents an opportunity to build momentum away from home and to prove they can take points off the competition favourites. The short preparation window and consecutive travel stops — Lautoka to Auckland, then Auckland to Christchurch — have been recurring themes this season, and how well the squad handles recovery and game-day planning will be as important as tactics and selection when the pair run out tomorrow evening.
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