Fijian Drua vs Crusaders: The Sevu Reece experiment, defence is back

The Crusaders ventured into the cauldron of Fijian rugby for their round eight matchup but refused to melt away in a hard-hitting affair.

The hosts were coming off a buy and would have been confident given their record at home, but also weary given the Crusaders were fresh off an upset loss to Moana Pasifika.

It was the visitors who managed to execute under pressure, running away to a 31-0 lead before a late blitz from the Drua threatened to burn through that deficit.

While two late, thrilling tries gave the home fans plenty to cheer about, the Crusaders would emerge victors to the tune of 31-14.

Here are some takeaways.

The Sevu Reece experiment

Heads were turned on Wednesday when the Crusaders selected All Black Sevu Reece at centre as opposed to his familiar wing position.

The opportunity was a dream come true for the 28-year-old, who revealed he’d been asking for a crack in the midfield for some time now.

So, how did the experiment play out?

The game largely came and went without Reece providing any further impact on the game compared to his usual, robust performances.

The electric Fijian was more productive on the defensive end than usual, chewing through 11 tackles with two misses. On the attacking end, Reece was quiet.

Despite boasting an impressive 25 defenders beaten heading into the contest, the man sitting second on Super Rugby’s all-time try scorers list barely touched the ball.

Credit must be given for a servicable performance in a new position – or at least one he hasn’t played in some years – but Reece’s X-factor was nowhere to be seen in Suva.

Taha Kemara growing into the No. 10 jersey

While first receiver responsibilities have been shared between a trio of playmakers for the Crusaders this season, the absence of David Havili from this match left young first five Taha Kemara with additional responsibilities for the first time in 2025.

Havili and Will Jordan have each been actively involved in both the Crusaders’ attack and their exits, allowing Kemara to ease into the breadth of roles of a No. 10. The 21-year-old, however, looked comfortable and capable while fulfilling each of those roles in Fiji, getting his team into the right areas of the field.

Will Jordan was still on hand and provided his familiar class when he saw fit, contributing three try assists in the contest.

Crusaders rediscover their DNA

The Crusaders have been one of the worst teams in Super Rugby Pacific when it comes to tackle success this season.

The team that won seven titles in as many years and were synonymous with hard-nosed defence let their standards slip in a tumultuous 2024 season, and while they have rebounded strongly in 2025, that key ingredient has still been lacking.

Against the Drua, though, the Cantabrians were tackling at 94 per cent before their opponents’ late onslaught and went on to finish with a success rate of 90 per cent.

That mark beats their season average of 86 per cent, which ranks eighth in the competition.

More impressive, though, was the fact that defence was containing a raging bull of an attack. The Crusaders produced perhaps their most physical defensive performance of the year in Suva, repelling some of Super Rugby’s most threatening ball-carriers in an arena they tend to thrive in.

Drua thrive with instictual attack

The Drua came back into this contest in a hurry, and while it didn’t count for much at the final whistle, it goes to show this team will break any team if they can give themselves the opportunity to do so.

The two late tries the Drua scored came about when they broke with convention, firstly trying a chip and chase on first-phase attack and secondly taking a quick throw-in.

The opening hour of this game saw the Drua throw themselves at the Crusaders’ line, a tactic which bore no fruit and led to turnovers.

One has to think that an earlier call to break the game open with more unpredictable attack could have brought the home team back into contention before it was too late.