NSW Waratahs wary of Fijian flair in season opener

Tue, Feb 15, 2022, 1:49 AM

After the recent postponement of the Moana Pasifika v Blues match due to COVID-19 the NSW Waratahs now have the privilege of opening the Super Rugby Pacific season when they face the Fijian Drua this Friday at CommBank Stadium.

The Drua, currently based at Lennox Head in Northern NSW, are coached by former Wallabies and All Blacks Skills Coach Mick Byrne and feature a squad of predominantly local Fijian players.

The Waratahs team and coaching staff are no strangers to the competition’s newest team after facing the Drua in three seasons of the NRC.

The Drua were a huge hit in the Australian domestic tournament, making the semi-finals in their debut season in 2017, and winning the whole competition the following season in front of a huge crowd in Suva.

NSW Waratahs Assistant coach was under no illusions of what the team can expect from the flashy Fijians.

“I remember going over to Fiji a couple of years ago and at half-time we were right in the game,” Waratahs assistant coach Chris Whitaker, who was coach of the Sydney NRC team, said.

“Then the game opened up and that’s when they came and played their best footy and I think they put another three or four tries on us quite easily straight away.

“They’re freak athletes and they’re good at what they do, and they get excited on it. When they start sticking those passes, they become a very dangerous team to contain.”

Despite the lack of Super Rugby experience the Drua proved they will be a formidable force in Super Rugby Pacific showing plenty of flair in their 28-26 come from behind trial match win against the Melbourne Rebels last weekend.

“They can create something from nothing. Against the Rebels, they scored two or three tries either from turnovers or a freaky offload,” Whitaker said.

“So, on both sides of the ball we’ve got to be really disciplined and stick to what we’re doing best. “

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