Drua Need to Play Their Cards Right to Win

During the recent Sky Sports’ Breakdown Rugby show, a former All Blacks star halfback had an interesting observation on what has made the Hurricanes untouchable so far in Super Rugby.

The Wellington-based franchise club has been unbeaten after eight rounds of competition.

Tonight, they take on the Fijian Drua at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.

Now as a TV rugby commentator, Justin Marshall said the strength the Hurricanes have been on their bench and the timing of their coming in is the reason behind their success.

The former Crusader highlighted that the Hurricanes substitutes come in at the right time to up the tempo of the game to a higher level.

Marshall said these subs come in to further strengthen the side.

In other words, when they come in they make the team much-stronger compared to what it was like with the starting fifteens.

This is evident when we look at the Hurricanes reserve list for the Drua match.

Fiery openside flanker Du’Plessis Kirifi has been moved back to the starting line-up while the tireless Peter Lakai will start from the bench. Lakai plays equally well at No.8 and has been the talk of the competition. According to the legendary All Blacks winger Sir John Kirwan and Mils Muliaina, Lakai is an All Black prospect and could be playing his first Test, this season.

Not only that, on the bench he is being joined by livewire hooker Asafo Aumua along with elusive utility backs of Ruben Love and Bailyn Sullivan.

Aumua, who is as fast as any backline player was named the Player of the Week after a sterling performance in the win over the Chiefs.

The caliber of players on the Hurricanes bench speaks volume and definitely they are going to change the dynamics of the game when they come in.

That is why the Drua must work on the timing of bringing in their substitute players so that they can defuse whatever is thrown at them by the visitors. There’s no point in making changes when the damage is already done.

The Tevita Ikanivere captained-side must stay focused right to the final whistle and be mindful of their discipline.

Moreover, they must connect with their one-on-one tackles to stop the Hurricanes off-loading game.

This is crucial because according to the Super Rugby stats, the Hurricanes top the off-loading list with 94 compared to the Drua’s 41. That is why they’ve scored more tries than any other team.

In the scrums, the Drua has an edge over the visitors as they have won 95 per cent of their scrums to stay at the top while the Hurricanes has 84 per cent.

Nothing is impossible for the Drua if only they play according to plan, hold on to the ball, cut down their mistakes, make every tackle count and take every point that comes their way.

It’s about winning and the team that plays its cards right should have the last laugh in Laucala tonight.

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