Five things we learnt from Fijian Drua - NSW Waratahs

Sat, Apr 19, 2025, 4:14 AM
Nathan Williamson
by Nathan Williamson

The Fijian Drua added another team to their Churchill Park graveyard with a 28-14 win over the NSW Waratahs.

It continues the Waratahs' rough run away from Allianz Stadium, heading to the bye with their finals hopes in tatters.

Watch every game of SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific live and on-demand via Stan Sport.

So what did we learn?

1. Jekyll and Hyde

The Waratahs continue to look a completely different team away from home and it remains the number one fix heading into the bye.

Winning in Lautoka is tough for any side but the Waratahs were well off the game at crucial moments.

Their goal-line defence was unbelievable, but 37 missed tackles and 12 line breaks conceded is too hard to come back from.

They return to Australia to face the Brumbies in Canberra, with away trips to Perth and Auckland to follow. They need to nab at least one of those to have any hopes in the finals.

2. Find a way to transport Lautoka worldwide

This is what the Drua need to do because they look like a top ten Test side when playing there.

It makes it eight wins in a row and their only two wins of the season, knocking off the Chiefs there early in the year.

It’s all well and good to play well at Churchill Park but that won’t be worth much if it doesn’t follow into the second half of the year.

The win sets up a crucial month of winnable games, facing Moana Pasifika away before three straight home games.

3. Front-row issues

The Waratahs were lacking the presence of Angus Bell, Dave Porecki and Taniela Tupou.

Their scrum was punished from the start of the game and allowed the Drua to build scoreboard pressure through the boot.

It proved the difference, along with the Waratahs’ inability to hit their man at lineout time.

There were five lost across the afternoon, with several not even close to finding their man or going straight.

4. Waqa the Wonder

Add Etonia Waqa to the long list of freakish Fijian talents that are ready to take over Super Rugby Pacific.

The 25-year-old is listed as a lock but plays like a winger as he torched the Waratahs on countless occasions.

He’s got a freakish combination of size, strength and speed that caused the visitors chaos with three line breaks and seven tackle busts in the first half.

Motikiai Murray was equally impactful, breaking the Waratahs open for the first try with a nice break to beat three and score.

5. A potential crucial point

The actions of the final seconds of the game cost the Waratahs what could be a crucial bonus point for their finals hopes.

The Drua tried to take it away from them with a Kemu Valetini penalty, but ultimately gave the Waratahs a chance to strike from their own in-goal. 

This backfired on the visitors when desperate passing led to a penalty try and a yellow card for Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. Calmer heads and hindsight suggest that placing the ball down after several poor passes left the visitors scrambling would've been the better option.

The drama around this try covers up Valetini’s cardinal sin - there’s no reason that kick should’ve landed anywhere near the in-goal, especially after he had the legs from twice as far 10 minutes earlier. 

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