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Drua vs Chiefs takes: Fijian muscle too much for Chiefs, more sevens stardom
By Ned Lester
The Chiefs’ unbeaten run came to an end in Fiji in round four, with the Drua turning the tables with a second-half burst to claim victory.
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It’s no secret how steep of a challenge playing the Drua in Fiji is, but even with that record and reputation, the Chiefs entered the contest as favourites.
The rain poured, and both sides coughed up possession en route to a low-scoring 12-6 halftime scoreline in favour of the Chiefs.
The second period saw the skies clear, and while the sodden turf remained, the game opened up a little, and the Drua did what the Drua do best: run hard and fast.
Here are four takeaways from the Drua’s win.
Fiji play to the conditions expertly
The iconic Fijian style of play makes a lot of sense when you watch a game like this. There was an element of childlike joy to the Drua’s running game when the rain was at its worst.
Carries featured as much sliding along the ground as they did running, and Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula’s tactical kicking came to the fore to make life very awkward for the visitors.
Naturally, the Fijians were primed to play to these kinds of conditions, but the Chiefs’ failure to adapt only highlighted how impressive it was to see the Drua taking the challenge of a torrential downpour in their stride.
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Chiefs let standards slip dramatically
One thing that needs to go your way when the weather is poor is the set piece, and that was definitely not what happened for the Chiefs in Lautoka.
Overthrows, handling errors and illegal contests in the lineout helped the Drua stay in the game in the first half and saw them run away with it in the second.
On the flip side, the Drua were far from perfect, too. However, when in positions to attack, the hosts’ execution was far superior, and they were happy to take the points on offer when the Chiefs’ inaccuracy was pulled up by the referee.
The Chiefs committed double the number of penalties they have averaged in the season so far. The Drua snuck in just under their season average.
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Fijian muscle too much for Chiefs
The Drua set their big ball runners loose against smaller Chiefs defenders throughout the 80 minutes in Lautoka.
Too often, from the Chiefs’ perspective, was it left to Quinn Tupaea and Josh Jacomb to bring down a raging bull like Peni Ravai in the midfield. The Drua targeted that defensive duo regularly and earned attacking momentum nearly every time.
Even when Tupaea, one of the competition’s strongest midfielders, provided the pace and anticipation to catch the Drua behind the gainline, it wasn’t enough to stop the big Fijian runners from striding upfield. Keep in mind that the Chiefs named a 6/2 bench split for this game.
In years gone by, it would have been Sam Cane in those primary channels, and the result would have been very different.
When facing the Drua in Fiji, you’re going to be made to pay for mismatches like that.
Yet another former sevens star shines
Ponipate Loganimasi is synonymous with X-factor. The 26-year-old had no right to make scoring against the second most efficient defence in the competition look as effortless as he did.
In the 65th minute, the former Fijian Sevens star defused an attacking chip kick from the Chiefs, made a seamless pirouette out of the tackle attempt and was comfortably fast enough to win the race when he put through a chip and chase of his own.
The play made it a two-score game and allowed the Drua to absorb a late Chiefs try without sweating over their lead.
WHAT. A. TRY. 🤯 Lautoka is rocking!
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The Drua are extremely tough to beat at home with difficult weather conditions whether it’s hot or raining, a talented team and a passionate crowd. I wasn’t surprised at all that they won.
Tough assignment up in Lautoka - Drua did a great job at managing/securing their breakdown which has been an area of strength for the Chiefs. Understandable but annoying handling errors and penalties, a day to forget for the Chiefs.
Crazy that at this time of year a team has to go to two Pacific islands in two weeks with a home game in the middle. We need to look after our players better than that.
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Was a super game to watch - really entertaining. The only negative was the lacklustre commentary, which was made even more obvious when the (skilful) Moana Pacifica vs Canes commentary team got underway.