No more catch-up rugby: Legge

McDonald’s Fiji Drua Women head coach Mike Legge says his side can no longer afford slow starts as they prepare to face the Brumbies in their Super W Round Three clash at Govind Park in Ba tomorrow.

Legge admitted that the team’s sluggish starts in their opening two matches had allowed opponents to gain an early advantage, forcing the Drua to play catch-up rugby.

“We’ve worked on it and identified it as a key area that needs improvement,” Legge said.

“Again, we let ourselves down in the first half with a slow start, but it’s something we’ve addressed this week.

“We’ve changed a few things in the way we train to better replicate match starts. We’re hoping that translates onto the field on Saturday. It is a concern because we can’t afford to give teams a head start if we want to progress further in the competition.”

The Drua coach said the focus this week had been on delivering a complete performance across the full 80 minutes.

“We hope to put together a full 80-minute performance for our fans in Ba and for ourselves. We want to improve in this area,” he said.

Legge also highlighted line-outs and on-field decision-making as areas receiving attention at training.

“We’ve tried to simplify our line-outs.

“We go in with set plans, but things can go wrong on the field, so it’s something we’re addressing.

“It’s not just with the players but also our leadership group. We’ve introduced a few things at training this week to help rectify that.”

The Drua received strong support during their previous outing in Lautoka, and Legge is calling on fans to turn out in numbers again at Govind Park.

“The fans really lifted us in the second half, and it was a good crowd in Lautoka. We’re expecting the same from Ba,” he said.

The McDonald’s Fiji Drua Women take on the Brumbies at 2pm on Saturday at Govind Park, Ba.