Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley has insisted the Fijian Drua receive the same level of support as all other teams in the competition while outlining a series of special planning measures to help the side remain competitive on and off the field. Mesley said the league’s long-range scheduling is already factoring in the Drua’s unique demands — particularly travel and tropical conditions — as organisers prepare for future seasons including 2027.
“Yeah, I mean, I think the Drua, we treat the Drua the same as we treat all 11 teams. There are some special considerations that we need to do as we think about the Drua in particular,” Mesley told reporters. He acknowledged that the Drua face heavy travel loads similar to Australia’s Western Force and said that competition planners are taking those burdens into account when building fixtures and travel schedules.
Mesley detailed practical areas where the competition will work with the Drua, naming heat management, game scheduling, kick-off times and venue selection as priorities. “We’ll work with the Drua as well around how we manage heat, how we schedule games, what time kick-off should be and where will they be played, with the Drua having three venues to select from,” he said, signalling a tailored approach rather than a one-size-fits-all fixture model.
The comments are presented as the latest development in Super Rugby Pacific’s strategy to strengthen its footprint in the Pacific region. Mesley framed the Drua as central to that ambition, saying the club helps expand the competition’s reach in a rugby-passionate nation. “So, our vision’s clear, the Drua play a really essential part in that. We know how big rugby is in Fiji, we want to take it to the whole region,” he said, adding that organisers want “the whole of Australia loving Super Rugby, the whole of New Zealand loving Super Rugby Pacific and make sure the Drua here in Fiji remain the number one team in town.”
Mesley also reiterated a broader, long-term vision for the competition: to be the best rugby product in the world and to lift its visibility and fan engagement. “No doubt about it, we want to be the best rugby competition in the world. We think on the field, we probably are the best rugby competition in the world,” he said, while acknowledging work remains to promote the game more widely and attract new supporters.
For the Drua, Mesley’s statements aim to address persistent concerns about competitive equity when travel, climate and venue logistics differ from the competition’s Australia- and New Zealand-based clubs. By flagging specific operational measures and ongoing collaboration with the club, Super Rugby Pacific is signalling it will adapt scheduling and match conditions to mitigate those disadvantages as part of its planning for upcoming seasons.
The CEO’s comments mark the latest public assurance from the competition’s leadership that expansion into the Pacific will be supported with concrete operational planning, rather than simply treated as a token presence. With planning already underway for 2027, Mesley said the league will continue refining those measures to give “every team the best chance to compete and to win.”
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