The Fijian Drua are expecting a physical battle when they take on the Melbourne Rebels in round seven of the Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific tonight.
The Drua are aware of the strong style of play from their opponents and have trained around that area.
Coach Mick Byrne said they they are not expecting anything less from the Rebels and will not stop trying to chase their first away win this season.
“I think it’s very important, we set out at the start of the year to win away games. We haven’t done that yet. If we are going to grow as a team and take this team to the final and that’s where we want to be – in the finals! We got to have away wins and we have got another chance to do it on Friday night so it’s really important for us.”
He adds that plans to secure away victories have been in place from the outset, highlighting the significance of this week’s match for both the team and their supporters and families.
Meanwhile, coach Mosese Rauluni applauds the Fijian Drua Women’s team for their adept catching and passing abilities, as well as the versatility of their passing range.
He said this is something they did well in their game against the Western Force over the weekend.
He emphasises the importance of maintaining width in their play and avoiding being drawn in by the dummy runners of their opponents.
“I think their set pieces are similar to Western Force, very good set pieces and they spread the ball well. We’ll have to be on sole and be able to keep our width and not get sucked in by dummy runner players.”
He adds the team is anticipating a tough physical match against the strong Brumbies side and aims to build on their recent away victory.
He said the Drua women will have to be on their toes as they cannot underestimate the Brumbies.
He adds that Brumbies is really good with their set-pieces and they are wary of it.
“I think their set-pieces—they are like the western Force team—are really good in the their set-piece, and they got a very good catch and pass skill and also very good in their long range passes.”
Rauluni has named Salanieta Nabuli, Setaita Railumu and Jennifer Ravutia to make their debut start this season.
