Waratahs coach wary of Drua

NSW Waratahs Mike Ruthven has assured their supporters that they are not underestimating the Rooster Chicken Fijian Drua in tomorrow’s Super W final at the Ballymore Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

This is despite their big 62-21 win over the Drua at Churchill Park, Lautoka, last month.

The Drua is gunning for their third-year in a row win of the Super W title while the Waratahs are gunning for their fifth Super W title win.

The Waratahs have named a settled side for the clash, looking to replicate their dominance of the Drua over in Fiji earlier this year.

One of the notable changes sees Eva Karpani move back to the bench in a player management move, with Bridie O’Gorman slotting into the starting side.

Piper Duck will captain the side, however the big news will be in the bench, with veteran prop Emily Robinson set to become the most capped Waratah of all time, earning a 33rd cap off the bench on Sunday.

“I’m pretty proud,” the prop admitted to reporters.

“I’ve played here since the inception of the Waratahs, I love this club and hopefully can add a few more years of playing time.”

However, they come up against a similarly settled Drua side, with three changes made to the full squad.

The big inclusion is former captain Bitila Tawake, fresh off a stint in Super Rugby Aupiki, who will start in the front row for the Drua.

The other changes come off the bench, with Loraini Senivutu and Tiana Robanakadavu set to come into the reserves, capping off a dangerous-looking side that will be out to win their third title on the trot.

“They play a completely different style of rugby to the Aussie sides so it’s been really cool having them in the competition,” Robinson added.

“Their style of play is crazy and it’s a credit to them and how they’ve grown up and played so that’s a big challenge for us and I think we’ve learnt from past years.”

The grand final will kick-off at 4pm.

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