'Plenty at stake': Tough Super Rugby weekend coming up for Drua teams

Drua v Crusaders

Kick-off: 4.35pm (NZT) Saturday 5 April

National Stadium, Suva

Live blog updates on RNZ Sport

It is an interesting weekend ahead for the Fijian Drua franchise teams in the Super Rugby Pacific competition.

The Drua women's team take on the Reds at Ballymore on Saturday in semifinal one of the Super Rugby W competition.

Vivid in the coaching team's memory, and the players also, is the there point loss they suffered in Lautoka in the second round.

Back then, the Reds won 22-19. A win will get them through to their fourth final in four years.

A loss will push them out of contention for reclaiming the title they had won consecutively in 2022 and 2023.

Their brothers in the Drua men's outfit have the daunting task, again, to win at the National Stadium in Suva, in the eighth round of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific competition.

They face the Crusaders, who were humiliated by Moana Pasifika in Christchurch last Saturday.

The Drua are sitting at 11th spot - rock bottom of the competition at the moment, while fellow Pasifika outfit, Moana Pasifika has climbed up to 9th spot.

While Churchill Park in Lautoka has been the Drua team's favoured homeground, the National Stadium was where they also lost to the Brumbies in their opening home game a few weeks ago.

'Do or die'

Drua women's assistant coach Apenisa Nasilasila told reporters in Nadi that they face a "do or die" game against the Reds.

The side had focused on getting a home semifinal, but that failed when they lost their last round-robin game against the Western Force, 47-31.

Having placed second going into their last round, the Drua dropped to third on the table after the Reds defeated the Western Force 47-10 last weekend.

Nasilasila said the players had a week off last week and are back focused on the big task against the Reds in Brisbane.

They have learned from the loss against the Reds at home in Lautoka in the second round.

"The girls have regrouped. We're going in the semifinals in Brisbane and the girls are preparing very well," he said.

"They came in at us at Churchill Park and we were not fortunate enough to win that, but we've got our learnings from that. And you know that they're into the semifinals for a reason.

"They played a very good game in the last round, which made them win a place above us in the tables.

"With so much respect we're going for the Reds game in Brisbane, knowing full well how they will be in front of their home crowd and the advantage that they have.

"But the girls have been prepped clinically, on how to approach this match with, with the fact that it is a semifinal, and it is a do or die game for us."

Nasilasila said there were no major injury concerns, and the focus has been on mental preparation.

"So far, we are trying to manage the numbers that we have," he said.

"The girls have been briefed on the point that we really need to be prepared mentally, again, it's the semifinal, and everyone's coming in to door die rugby.

"The girls are fully aware of what's at hand, especially since it's an away game for us."

'Season's running out'

The struggling Drua men's team have a lot more to handle this weekend then they have over the past matches.

Their opponents are hurting bad after they were beaten by Moana Pasifika at their own backyard in Christchurch last Saturday night.

Head coach Glen Jackson told reproters he knows what the Crusaders will bring, and what his own players will need to do.

Half-way through the Super Rugby Pacific competition that the Drua are in a 'must win' situation.

The season is running out on the side.

Even Jackson acknowledges that.

"There's plenty at stake. It's halfway through the competition," he said.

"The season's running out, isn't it, so we've got to make sure that we're picking up points.

"We've got a good home run, with five home games left, and we need to make sure that we start well this weekend."

While the Drua had shown in four earlier losses that they can match their opponents, their loss to the Western Force threw them off the track.

But Jackson believes they are not off course and are still serious about their top six finish target or 2025.

That, however, will depend on how they fare against the wounded Crusaders at home.

"I don't want to put any pressure on our players," Jackson told the media.

"We know we're a good team. We know the first five weeks, we played well. We're unlucky not to get three wins.

"That hasn't changed, just because of one performance. It's certainly not going to change where we're trying to strive for as a team, and making sure that we perform well in front of our country."

He said the players will have to front up, get up and keep going, with both teams coming off loses in their recent outings.

"It's two hurting teams, so the strategy is no different to every time we're playing," the former Chiefs player said.

"We gotta get up and we gotta put pressure on them, we gotta make big hits, and we gotta try and look after our ball. We know disciplines always talked about, but discipline against the Crusaders is massive.

"We don't want to give them free entries into the 22 where we're defending mauls and what not. So, if we can hang on to the ball and really look after it and just trust what we're good at."

The team will be without senior player and looseman Ratu Meli Derenalagi for the rest of the season now, following a knee injury he sustained against the Western Force.

Derenalagi had surgery last week and is ruled out for 12 weeks.

Jackson said luckily for him and the team they have enough talents to cover for the injured player.

"He's down with a knee injury, so he had surgery last week and he'll be out, I think, obviously, for the rest of the season," Jackson said of Derenalagi.

"He should be back within 12 weeks. But you know, for a guy that was playing well, it's unfortunate for him.

"It's one position we're pretty blessed in Fiji, that we've got some good cover. We wouldn't want too many more injuries there, but at this stage, we've got enough cover."