It’ll Be Tough In Melbourne: Byrne

The Swire Shipping Fijian Drua are expecting a torrid encounter against a hurt Rebels at the AAMI Park in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday night.

Drua head coach Mick Byrne said, the Rebels would be fired up to avenge their earlier 31-26 loss at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Queensland.

“It is a short turnaround so we’re happy to be travelling to Melbourne,” he said.

“It’s good to have short turnovers especially after a narrow loss to the Force.”

Swire Shipping Fijian Drua lock Chris Minimbi (left) receives his jersey from former Flying Fijians No.8 Koli Sewabu in Sydney, Australia on March 18, 2022. Sewabu is now with Oceania Rugby. Photo: Fijian Drua

Byrne indicated that he was proud of how the Drua played against the Force despite going down 20-18 in the last minute.

“We were leading (18-17) and made a mistake by giving them (Force) possession.

“There were 26 phases and definitely there would be a penalty given as they are always coming at you.

“We defended well and gave away a penalty but they did not score a try. It was a great result and I’m proud of our performance.”

Byrne said it was an important lesson for the team especially to keep the ball when the scores are close.

“I’m happy that we met their (Force) physicality and made strong carries, although we were a bit high at times. We were still in there and was very physical.”

He highlighted the need to keep the ball and not kick away easy possession.

“That area of our game did let us down,” Byrne added.

Drua captain Nemani Nagusa said, after five rounds of competition, the players are now getting their combination right.

“We are now gelling as we understand each other in terms of how we play. Now we are focused on our offloads when to do it or when to hold on to the ball,” he said.

The match kicks off at 8.45pm.