Ponipate Loganimasi of Fijian Drua runs with the ball. Photo: Getty Images
The Fijian Drua continue their slide down the ladder of performance, as they lost 31-14 to the Crusaders in Suva on Saturday afternoon.
It was victory for the Crusaders on Fiji soil for the first time in three years, having lost the previous two contests in Lautoka.
The locals had trailed 17-0 at halftime and needed a big second half performance to restore some credibility in front of over 10,000 fans who had turned up in the hot Suva afternoon.
But they could not find their rhythm until the last 15 minutes, when replacement Isikeli Rabitu finally outran the stubborn Crusaders defence to score Drua's first try.
It was another replacement, Etonia Waqa who scored a solo try after he ran around 80 metres to score, after slicing through the Crusaders defence, sold a dummy and sidesteppped his way to the tryline.
However, as has been the story for the Drua in five out of their previous six games, the urgency was too little, too late, as the Crusaders hung on to create history as the final whistle went.
The tourists were beaten badly by Moana Pasifika in Christchurch last Saturday.
They needed a win to stay in the top four and keep their hopes of claiming a top six spot.
Fijian heritage players George Bower, Sevu Reece and Chay Fihaki all started for the visitors, with replacement Levi Aumua also having the chance to play against some of his own in the second spell.
The loss means the Drua are now almost glued to the bottom of the points table, with their hopes of qualifying for the top six almost vanishing out of sight, unless they start winning their next matches.
Head coach Glen Jackson has not been able to confirm his best lineup yet, with his rotation plans not making any difference in the team's performance, especially as the competition draws to a close soon.
Co-captains Tevita Ikanivere and Frank Lomani were replaced in the second half.
Ikanivere said they were beaten by a better team.
"The Crusaders came with a better game plan," Ikanivere said.
"They disrupted most of our lineouts, and that did not get us going. We just did not keep the ball in the breakdowns.
"They attacked that area and we just gave away too much ball to them. They started well and we wanted to come back in the second half but it was too late for that."
Ikanivere said they will have to get back to review their game, before they head to Dunedin for next weekend's clash against the Highlanders.
"We will go back to the drawing board and work on our lineouts and breakdown areas," Ikanivere said.
"We need to make sure that is clean so we can get some clean balls to our backline."
Crusaders captain Cody Taylor said they were happy to have claimed the win, following last week's loss to Moana Pasifika.
He said they knew Drua was going to be a challenge but they just focused on doing things right.
"They were always a team that showed they never say never until the end," Taylor said.
"We were embarrassed last week and really questioned our mindset.
"We knew the Drua were coming off a loss and a bye, and it would be a tough game. We talked about this being one of the hardest places in the world to play.
"It proved so again today, but we're proud we got the job done."
He thanked the Fijian fans who also supported them and their Fijian players.
Halfback Noah Hotham had the visitors on top quickly, scoring in the corner in the third minute, with lock Antonio Shalfoon and winger Fihaki following suit for a 17-0 halftime advantage.
The Crusaders put the game beyond reach, when winger Macca Springer and hooker Ioane Moananu added two more tries in the second half.
The Crusaders now overhaul Queensland Reds for second on the competition table, behind the Chiefs, and now have a short turnaround to visit the Hurricanes next Friday.
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