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“Embarrassed” one week, history the next. The Crusaders have responded by beating the Drua in Fiji for the first time after a first-half clinic delivered them a 31-14 win in Suva on Saturday.
The 17-point bonus-point win saw the Crusaders jump ahead of the Queensland Reds into second spot on the Super Rugby standings midway through the season.
While the final 20 minutes of the clash were exciting as the Drua finally made a game of it, it was a tough game that won’t go in the memory books for many after 45 turnovers in the Fijian heat.
Despite plenty of endeavour, the Drua could do little right as they struggled at the scrum and were horrible at the lineout. Fiji even struggled at the breakdown.
Even the Crusaders struggled to retain possession at times in the latter stages of the first half, with neither side able to add points for more than half-an-hour as the ball continually spilt out.
But the men from New Zealand’s south island would not have cared following their flying start.
Levi Aumua in action for the Crusaders during their win over the Fijian Drua at HFC Stadium on April 05, 2025. (Photo by Pita Simpson/Getty Images)
Having been blown away by Moana Pasifika last week, the Crusaders led 7-0 after a couple of minutes thanks to Noah Hotham and 17-0 at half-time to leave Drua coach Glen Jackson scratching his head.
If he had any hair, it would have been gone early in the second half as the Drua continued to bomb chances deep inside the Crusaders’ half as the visitors’ defence and strong lineout continued to deny the home side.
More pain was on its way as Macca Springer and Ioane Moananu joined Antonio Shalfoon and Chay Fihaki on the scoreboard to lead 31-0 after 63 minutes.
Then finally the Drua turned it on, with Isikeli Rabitu and replacement backrower Etonia Waqa scoring a whale of a try to give the Drua a faint hope of pulling off the unthinkable with ten minutes left.
Despite several chances, the Drua continued to push the passes and, like much of the match, they continued to go to ground as the Crusaders held on to win.
“It was pretty quick,” reflected Crusaders skipper Codie Taylor.
“In typical Drua fashion, they never say never and they hung in their right until the end.
“I’m just proud of the boys, the way we started and built a bit of momentum in the first half and then hang in there at the end.”
Asked about the dramatic turnaround, Taylor said the Crusaders knew they faced a giant hurdle coming to Fiji where they had never won before.
“We were pretty embarrassed with last week and we really questioned our mindset, and we knew we had to turn up today and right a few wrongs,” he said.
“We knew that the Drua were coming off a loss and had a bye as well, so it was going to be a tough game. We spoke about this being one of the hardest places to play in the world, and it proved so again today.”
Drua skipper Tevita Ikanivere, who struggled to hit a target all day with his throw, admitted his side simply weren’t good enough.
“It was tough,” the hooker said.
“I think the Crusaders came with a great game-plan. They disrupted most of our lineouts. We couldn’t get going and we couldn’t keep the ball at the breakdown. They attacked that area and we lost too much ball and they started the game well. We came back but it was too late.”
The bonus point win saw the Crusaders overtake the Queensland Reds (23) into second spot on 24 points, where they trail the Chiefs by two points.
The Drua, meanwhile, are stuck on the bottom of the ladder on seven points after just one win – an upset 28-24 win over the Chiefs a month ago.
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