The Queensland Reds recorded their first-ever win on Fijian soil, beating the Fijian Drua 21-6 in the Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific clash at Churchill Park yesterday. The visitors converted sustained possession into three well-taken tries while their defence held firm as the Drua were limited to two early penalty goals from flyhalf Isaiah Armstrong.
It was the Drua who struck first when Armstrong slotted a penalty to give the home side a 3-0 lead. The Reds, who controlled much of the first half, struggled at times to turn pressure into points amid handling errors and loose passes. The deadlock was broken by a slick Reds move initiated from a high punt by Frank Lomani. Filipo Daugunu made a strong break, quick ruck ball saw Hunter Paisami feed Fraser McReight, who drew the last defender and released Kalani Thomas to score under the posts. Phillips McLaughlin’s conversion put the Reds ahead.
Armstrong kept the Drua in touch with his second penalty after an offside by the visitors, and the score remained tight at 7-6 at halftime. The second half began with an early setback for the Reds when fullback Jock Campbell was sin-binned for deliberately knocking the ball down at a ruck, reducing Queensland to 14 men for ten minutes.
Despite the sin-bin, the Reds extended their lead through forward work and smart finishing. Prop Seru Uru produced a neat offload that freed Phillips McLaughlin to score the visitors’ second try; McLaughlin added the conversion to make it 14-6. The visitors put the result beyond doubt in the 63rd minute when a powerful lineout drive ended with hooker Richie Asiata crashing over for the Reds’ third try, again converted by McLaughlin.
Queensland’s defence tightened in the closing stages, denying the Drua any further way through and preserving a 21-6 final scoreline. Armstrong’s two penalties accounted for all of the Drua’s points, while the Reds’ scoreboard was built on the tries from Kalani Thomas, McLaughlin and Asiata with McLaughlin converting all three.
The result marks a landmark victory for the Reds on Fijian soil and will be an encouraging sign of their ability to close out matches away from home. For the Drua, a failure to convert sustained possession and periods of ill-discipline proved costly as they were held tryless at Churchill Park.
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