The Fijian Drua claimed their first win of the season, outlasting the Hurricanes 25–20 in a thrilling clash at Churchill Park, Lautoka.
The visitors held a slender 17-13 lead at halftime after a physical opening spell.
The Drua opened the scoring through an Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula penalty before the Hurricanes struck back with tries to Fehi Fineanganofo and Peter Lakai, the latter rumbling over from a powerful driving maul.
Motikiai Murray responded in kind, crashing over beneath the posts to restore parity. However, a restart penalty proved costly, allowing the visitors to respond immediately as Jordie Barrett put Billy Proctor away out wide.
A late Armstrong-Ravula penalty kept the Drua within four points at halftime.
Fiji began the second half with purpose but struggled to build pressure as early errors crept in. Barrett extended the Hurricanes’ advantage to 20–13 with a long-range penalty after Droasese was pinged for a tackle in the air.
Momentum then swung dramatically at Churchill Park when Tuidraki Samusamuvodre intercepted a loose pass and raced 30 metres untouched under the posts, Armstrong-Ravula converting to level the scores at 20-all.
From there, the contest tightened into a territorial arm-wrestle in greasy conditions, with both sides exchanging kicks and forced into handling errors under pressure. The decisive moment arrived in the 67th minute when the Drua capitalised on turnover ball.
Sharp passing freed Ravai, whose deft offload sent Etonia Waqa sprinting 20 metres down the left flank to give the hosts a 25–20 lead. The conversion missed, setting up a nervous finish.
The Hurricanes mounted sustained pressure late, earning territory and penalties deep inside Drua territory, but the home side’s defence stood tall.
A late scrum reset drained precious seconds and, despite one final turnover after the siren, the visitors were unable to find a way through.
Roared on by a passionate Churchill Park crowd, the Drua showed grit and composure to overturn a halftime deficit and claim a memorable 25–20 victory.
The Drua now head into a bye before returning home to host the Brumbies in Ba in a fortnight.
