CANBERRA — The Fijian Drua produced a stirring upset in Canberra on Saturday, toppling the ACT Brumbies 33-28 at GIO Stadium to register only the second road win in the club’s five-year history — and spoiling Wallaby Tom Wright’s long-awaited return from a season-ending ACL rupture.
The Drua opened up a 22-7 half-time lead, powered by two first-half tries from winger Manasa Mataele and a dominant forward display that repeatedly put pressure on the Brumbies’ line. Simione Kuruvoli extended the lead early in the second half when he finished off a cross-kick from flyhalf Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula, and the visitors held on despite a late Brumbies fightback that left the home side agonisingly close.
Wright, playing his first match since tearing an ACL while on Wallabies duty in South Africa in August 2025, looked sharp and provided three try assists, including a long cut-out pass that sent Ollie Sapsford over in the 44th minute and a second that allowed Tane Edmed to score in the 64th. The Brumbies clawed their way back late through tries to Corey Toole and pressure-built phases, but a costly fumble by Sapsford on a pop pass to Declan Meredith in the 54th minute — with the line begging — proved pivotal when the Drua responded within a minute.
The match was overshadowed by a controversial incident in the 58th minute when Drua fullback Isikelis Rabitu and Ollie Sapsford collided heads. Rabitu was knocked out cold in the clash, had to be stretchered from the field and was later yellow-carded — a decision that drew immediate ire from the Drua camp given the severity of Rabitu’s injury and the manner of the collision. The Brumbies also endured mixed early rulings from the TMO, with one try allowed, one disallowed and other tight calls in the opening quarter that set an uneasy tone.
Drua captain Temo Mayanavanua dedicated the victory to Fijian communities still reeling from Cyclone Vaianu, saying the players had been carrying the country’s emotional weight into the match. “The boys showed a lot of ticker and a lot of heart,” Mayanavanua told Stan. “These boys decided to come even though Cyclone Vaianu was affecting the country. Some of the boys had mango trees falling on their roofs, but they decided to show up to training and put in the hard work. We wanted to create something special. We talked about creating history through the week.”
The win lifts the Drua to 4-5 for the Super Rugby Pacific season and hands the Brumbies a 5-4 record, sharpening the race in the mid-table. Beyond the standings, the result marks a psychological turning point for the Fiji-based franchise: prior to Saturday they had managed only one win in their last 33 matches away from home, underlining how rare and significant this Canberra success is.
For the Brumbies, the narrow loss will be dissected for missed opportunities and the late handling of key moments; for the Drua, the victory represents not just competition points but an emotional boost as players carry the broader concerns of cyclone-hit Fiji back into a testing run of fixtures.
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