SWIRE Shipping Fijian Drua head coach Glen Jackson has warned his side faces a fired-up ACT Brumbies as the teams meet in Round 10 of Super Rugby Pacific at GIO Stadium in Canberra tomorrow night — and made clear the margin for error in the Drua’s playoff chase has narrowed sharply.
“We’ve got an important game ahead,” Jackson said on the eve of the trip to Canberra, laying out the simple arithmetic the Drua are operating under: of their seven remaining matches they must win five to reach the finals. “I told the players we had seven games left — win five and we make the playoffs — and we’ve gone one for one so far.” The Drua beat the Western Force last weekend in a tight contest that Jackson said kept their hopes alive.
Jackson credited the narrow victory over the Force to a lift in defensive standards under defence coach Greg Fleming, but stressed the side must sustain that level for the full 80 minutes, particularly on the road. “Greg Fleming… has done a beautiful job this year. But we’ve got to put a full 80-minute performance together. When that happens, it’s exciting,” Jackson said, noting the team’s best performance this season came in their earlier meeting with the Brumbies — a result that will only make Canberra more determined.
Acknowledging the quality of the opposition, Jackson pointed to the Brumbies’ evolution under coach Stephen Larkham, saying Canberra are “not just the Brumbies of old anymore.” He described them as a team high on the ladder that has beaten every New Zealand side so far this season and now plays a more dynamic, ball-in-hand game with a “very fast back three.” That shift, Jackson warned, means the contest around the maul and the kicking-chase battle will be pivotal.
To counter that threat the Drua will lean on territory control. Jackson underlined the importance of a strong kicking game and praised two of his kickers — “Izzy and Isaac” — for their recent form. He also highlighted the potential impact of bench option Kemu, who Jackson expects to provide spark when introduced. Execution in those facets, Jackson said, will be crucial if the Drua are to repeat their home performance in hostile conditions.
Beyond the immediate tactical concerns, one unresolved target remains a major motivation for the team: an away win. Despite encouraging home displays, Jackson pointed out the Drua have yet to secure their first overseas victory this season and consider that milestone essential both for confidence and for Fijian pride. “We more than anyone want to make Fiji proud by winning away,” he said. “We play well for 60 minutes, but away from home that’s not enough. We need to be accurate and focused for the full 80.”
Tomorrow’s clash thus presents a double test for the Drua — to match the performance that troubled the Brumbies earlier in the year, and to convert a run of improving form into the sustained results needed to climb into the top of the table. With only seven rounds left and a simple win target mapped out by Jackson, the trip to Canberra will be treated as a must-step in the run toward the finals.
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