No Change In The Way We Play: Byrne

Swire Shipping Fijian Drua head coach, Mick Byrne, said there won’t be any significant changes at how they are going to tackle the Brumbies.

He said they did not have the op­portunity to showcase their style of play against the Waratahs in their Super Rugby Pacific opener.

“This was because we did not hold on to the ball for longer periods of time and we made errors as well,” he said.

“We managed to hold on the ball in that last 20 minutes and came close to scoring a number of times.”

Byrne said they need to hold on to the ball first before they can think about offloading.

Match statistics from rugby.com.au, show the Waratahs winning 20 turnovers compared to the Drua’s seven.

“So, there’ll be no changes in our style of play as we’ve not shown what we are capable of,” he added.

Hooker Tevita Ikanivere agreed with Byrne’s assessment indicat­ing that if they are able to hold on to possession they could cause an upset win.

Bustling centre turned winger Onisi Ratave could start against the Brumbies after Kitione Ratu was ruled out due to injury.

Ratave, who played for Bay of Plenty, came in as a late sub against the Waratahs.

He managed to run 28 metres and made two clean breaks.

With Teti Tela available for selec­tion, there is a possibility of him starting at No.10 with Baden Kerr being moved to fullback.

Byrne said they are expecting more fans in Canberra for the Brumbies clash.

‘We’ve got fans coming in from Sydney and even a group from Mel­bourne,” he added.

The match kicks off at 3.35pm.

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