Drua target quarters after breakthrough win

The Swire Shipping Fijian Drua is focused on reaching the Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific quarterfinals after their recent away win against the Brumbies.

Speaking to SUNsports on Wednesday, Drua head coach Glen Jackson said the team has turned their attention to Sunday’s clash against the Chiefs at One Stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand.

“It’s hard to understand, after losing 33 games in a row, how much of a relief it is to finally get one,” Jackson said regarding the win over the Brumbies.

“It’s nice to get that monkey off our back but the players want more. They want to make the quarterfinals, and they are doing everything they can.”

Jackson said the team still have work to do with games remaining in the season.

“If we can get five wins, we’re not guaranteed a quarter-final spot, but we’ll certainly be there or thereabouts. That’s the attitude of the team. We came straight back in and got to work.”

He admitted naming the match-day squad had been challenging, with players returning from in-jury and others managing heavy workloads.

“We’ve got players coming back, a few injuries, and we need to manage minutes,” he said.

“Isoa Nasilasila has played a lot of rugby, so it’s good to have Temo (Mayanavanua) and Mesake (Vocevoce) come in. They’re both international locks, and it gives us balance as we push for those quarter-final spots.”

Jackson believed that resilience under pressure and defensive ex-ecution in holding off a Brumbies second-half surge, with the decisive moment being a match-saving maul defence.

He said the message at half-time focused on returning to the changing shed, knowing they were in one of the toughest places to win in rugby.

“The message was we knew we’d had a strong first half, and we knew the Brumbies would adjust and come out well in the second half,” he said.

“It was no surprise they changed how they played. I thought the Brumbies were very good in the second half. The way our team held on in that final minute was outstanding.”

He said coaches Chris (Gibbes) and Greg (Fleming) had done an excellent job with the maul defence.

“The Brumbies score most of their tries from the maul, and that last play of the game — to defend it, bring it down and turn it over was outstanding.

“I said when you come back into this changing shed after 40 minutes with a win, you’ll never forget it.

“To see the boys come back in and want a photo there as a full squad shows what rugby is about and how much it meant to them not only the players, but the staff who have been here since day one.

“To see a win like that was good for everyone at the club.”

He added that the mood in camp remained professional.

“You wouldn’t have known when we got back on Monday. They were already focused on the Chiefs.”