LAUTOKA, 13 April 2026 — Zac Lomax’s switch from rugby league to union produced a promising individual debut but could not stop the Western Force slipping to a 24-22 defeat to the Fijian Drua in Lautoka on Monday night. The former NRL and State of Origin winger came off the bench in the 60th minute, made 40 run metres and broke the line twice, yet the Force left Fiji with nothing after Ben Donaldson missed a long-range penalty in the dying moments.
Lomax signed a two-year deal with the Force just five weeks before the match, part of a wider recruitment drive with next year’s home Rugby World Cup in mind, but the cameo highlighted more what the Force are still missing than what they gained. The WA-based side fell behind early when flanker Etonia Waqa was yellow-carded and Misinale Epenisa crossed for the visitors in the 10th minute. The Drua then hit back with tries to Penaia Cakobau and five‑eighth Isaiah Armstrong‑Ravula, and Isikeli Rabitu finished a sweeping move just before halftime to leave the hosts 19-7 up.
The Force mounted a strong second-half fightback. Dylan Pietsch touched down from a Bayley Kuenzle pass and lock Jeremy Williams barged over to reduce the margin. Momentum swung again when Kurtley Beale’s pass was intercepted by rookie winger Isikeli Basiyalo, who raced 102 metres and scored on his competition debut to restore breathing room for the Drua. Ilaisa Droasese’s sin‑binning in the 70th minute gave the visitors a late platform — Will Harris finished from a maul — but Beale’s missed conversion and Donaldson’s final kick that drifted wide left rendered the comeback incomplete.
The win kept the Drua’s 100 per cent record against the Force in Fiji intact and ended a three‑game losing run for the home side. It was also a morale boost for supporters after Cyclone Vaianu battered parts of Fiji earlier in the week, with Sunday’s crowd greeting the team’s performance enthusiastically. For the Force, the loss leaves their finals aspirations in jeopardy, sitting below the sixth‑placed Reds on the ladder and with little margin for error as the season’s midpoint approaches.
Key performers for the Drua were Armstrong‑Ravula, who added two conversions to his try, and Basiyalo, whose 102 metres and cameo try announced him on the Super Rugby stage. Lomax’s outing provided glimpses of attacking threat — two clean breaks and aggressive carrying — but input from the bench could not overturn moments of indiscipline and missed goal‑kicking that ultimately decided the contest.
Elsewhere in Super Rugby on Monday, the Chiefs ran riot in Rotorua, 62-17 over Moana Pasifika. Quinn Tupaea scored a double and created two more, while Kyren Taumoefolau crossed twice as the Chiefs surged to a temporary lead at the top of the ladder. Tupaea’s all‑round attacking display and Taumoefolau’s finishing ensured a statement win for the Waikato side as the competition heads into a congested run of fixtures.
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