Super Rugby Pacific

Drua sails through Hurricanes

February 28, 2026 5:50 pm

The Swire Shipping Fijian Drua produced a stirring second-half fightback to defeat the Hurricanes 25-20 in a dramatic Super Rugby Pacific clash in Lautoka.

It was the Drua’s first win in the 2026 Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific, and it was a special one, especially after the Hurricanes thumped Moana Pasifika last week.

The Hurricanes held a slender 17-13 lead at halftime after a physical opening spell.

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The Drua struck first through an Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula penalty before the visitors responded with tries to Fehi Fineanganofo and Peter Lakai, the latter burrowing over from a dominant maul.

Motikiai Murray powered over under the posts to level the scores, but a costly penalty from the restart allowed the Hurricanes to hit back immediately, with Jordie Barrett sending Billy Proctor over.

A late Armstrong-Ravula penalty kept the Drua within four at the break.

Fiji started the second half with intent, but early errors stalled momentum.

Barrett extended the Hurricanes’ lead to 20-13 with a long-range penalty after Droasese was penalised for a tackle in the air.

What followed was a momentum swing that lifted Churchill Park.

Tuidraki Samusamuvodre pounced on a loose pass to intercept and sprint 30 metres untouched under the posts, with Armstrong-Ravula converting to level the scores at 20-all.

The contest tightened into a territorial battle in wet conditions, with both sides trading kicks and handling errors under pressure.

The breakthrough came in the 67th minute when the Drua struck from a turnover ball.

Quick hands released Ravai, who produced a superb offload to Etonia Waqa, the winger racing 20 metres down the left touchline to put the hosts in front 25-20.

The conversion drifted wide, setting up a tense finale.

The Hurricanes pushed hard in the closing stages, earning field position and penalties deep in Drua territory, but Fiji’s defence held firm.

A late scrum reset chewed up valuable seconds, and despite one final turnover after the siren, the Hurricanes could not capitalise.

In front of a passionate home crowd, the Drua weathered the storm and showed resilience to overturn a halftime deficit and secure a memorable 25-20 victory.

The Drua are on a bye next week before hosting the Brumbies in Ba in a fortnight.

 

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