Opinon: Review is the way forward for the Drua

The Fijian Drua is heading towards another unsuccessful year in Super Rugby Pacific. Let’s not even entertain the thought, of them making the play-offs. This year’s campaign has been a total failure despite the signing of a few big names.

We feel for the loyal fans who despite the high cost of living have used every cent they saved to pay for their tickets to the games or the Drua merchandise.

The fans, as usual have fulfilled their end of the bargain throughout these years by standing behind the team but unfortunately the Drua coaches and players have not kept theirs.

The Drua has not won their away games since 2003.

Now, the Drua’s declared fortress at Churchill Park in Lautoka is just merely words after bottom placed Moana Pasifika thumped them 40-26 and followed by the Queensland Reds 21-6.

The massive 15-40 walloping to a second string Blues side in Auckland followed by last Friday’s 69-26 in Christchurch calls for an immediate independent review as soon as the Super Rugby season ends.

The review should be on the following:

COACHES

The performance of head coach Glen Jackson should come under scrutiny, especially with his winning rate of 28.6% for the 2025 season and he is currently around that mark as of now. That is really low. Even New Zealand Rugby (NZR) recently had to sack the All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson despite having a 70% winning strike rate in 2025. We’ve got to take our cue from there.

Also the review should be on whether we’ve the right person as the Strength and Conditioning coach. We just have to look at the physique of our players, who time and again have been bullied by the oppositions, simply because they don’t have the power to make their one-on-one tackles effective, burst through tackles or crash over to score tries.

Finally, the need to have a specialist defence coach. We’ve been harping about this even before the Super Rugby campaign starts. The last Drua defence coach was Brad Harris from 2022-2024, where they reached the 2023 and 2024 play-offs.

At the moment, the task is being handled by two renowned forwards coaches, who are doing all their best to make things work but sadly it is not what it is.

Ponipate Loganimasi is ruled out of this season’s Super Rugby season.

Photo: Leon Lord

SELECTION

Before the Drua made their Super Rugby debut in 2022, the license (to participate) came in late and the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) were unable to sign up overseas-based players. This was when they fell back on the local-based players who were playing in the Skipper Cup competition.

Due to the pandemic, the players were rushed to their training camp in New South Wales (NSW) in Australia to undergo their preparations. The players did not disappoint as they recorded two wins in their first season, a feat which cannot be equaled by former Super Rugby clubs like Jaguares, Sunwolves, Force, Rebels and Lions (South Africa).

This saw the emergence of local-based players like Kalaveti Ravouvou, Apisalome Vota, Vinaya Habosi, Onisi Ratave, Selestino Ravutaumada, Peni Matawalu, Simione Kuruvoli, Tevita Ikanivere, Chris Minimbi, Meli Derenalagi, Kitione Salawa, Tuidraki Samusamuvodre, Samu Tawake, Vilive Miramira, and the list goes on.

Then they were followed by the likes of Elia Canakaivata, Sikeli Rabitu, Philip Baselala, Motikiai Murray, Iosefo Masi, Isoa Tuwai, Kavaia Tagivetaua, Mesake Vocevoce, Iosefo Namoce and so on.

From the review, it should be made compulsory that players eligible for the Drua selection should play five to 10 Skipper Cup matches and for the Drua development players they must play the same number of matches in the Skipper Cup U20 players. Overseas-based players who want to play for the Drua, must first play in the Skipper Cup competition if they are to become eligible for selection.

This is the perfect platform since the Drua was first set-up to expose our local-based players to a professional environment.

LEADERSHIP

When the Drua started its Super Rugby campaign under head coach Mick Byrne in 2022, the first captain was veteran No.8 Nagusa. Then the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the captain was flanker Meli Derenalagi. Ikanivere captained a number of games when Derenalagi was rested due to injury.

When Jackson took over he had adopted the co-captains structure with Ikanivere- Frank Lomani for the 2025 season and Lomani and Temo Mayanavanua for this season.

The results have indicated that having co-captains does not work for the Drua.

In actual fact, it’s not in our DNA to have two leaders or chiefs leading the people at the same time. It’s our traditional culture to have one chief at the helm.

Having two chiefs, will only confuse and frustrate their subjects, which brings division instead of unity.

Lomani and Mayanavanua are two of our best players, so it’s best to put one as captain while the other as vice-captain.

The review should ensure the doing away of the co-captains concept, which is not aligned to our culture.

Frank Lomani leads the i-Bole.

Photo: Leon Lord

I-BOLE

The recent decision by SANZAAR not to allow the Drua to perform the iBole should raise a lot questions. We cannot compare the iBole to the Flying Fijians i-Cibi. This is because the i-Cibi is deeply rooted to our culture. There were traditional protocols observed before the i-Cibi was performed by the Flying Fijians.

On the other hand, the iBole is more like an entertainment war dance and is not deeply rooted to our culture.

It is more of a Christian war dance, with Biblical verses being its lyrics and lacks that cultural touch.

The review should focus on whether there is a real need for the Drua to perform the iBole or it’s best to do away with it.