Fijian children play barefoot touch football across wet, muddy fields dressed in Drua T-shirts and the country’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, a former Fijian rugby international, is a passionate and vocal supporter of the side.
The Drua have only been in Super Rugby since 2022, but you do not need to be in Fiji for long to realise that this club is just as synonymous with the country’s sporting pride as the Flying Fijians who defeated the Wallabies at the Rugby World Cup or their champion Olympic sevens teams.
Last October, the Australian government announced that they would continue to financially support the Drua’s men’s and women’s teams for the next four seasons on top of their original commitment from 2019 until 2023, ensuring that the club’s raucous home ground Churchill Park in Lautoka will remain sold out for the foreseeable future.
Rabuka said the deal gives the country’s young people the “opportunity to dare to dream about a life that sports can offer them” and also stated that without Australia’s support “we would never have seen the rise and success of our Drua men and women’s teams”.
Fijian Drua players preparing ahead of their game against the Waratahs in Lautoka. Credit: RA
Great to see new SMH rugby scribe Jonathan Drennan getting amongst it in Fiji. It’s his first rugby tour for the paper and it’s been a baptism of fire to say the least. He’s been banging out some great stories this week, which I’d highly recommend reading.
JD has managed to find some Wi-Fi to send through some colour before kick-off.
Waratahs fullback Max Jorgensen has again committed to the Wallabies ahead of next year’s British and Irish Lions tour and the 2027 Rugby World Cup, but has revealed that he is open to making the switch to the NRL once he has featured on rugby’s two biggest stages.
Jorgensen emphatically denied that he had been offered any contract from the Roosters and is currently focused on returning to the field against the Drua in Fiji on Saturday after recovering from a hip injury that kept him out of last week’s two-point defeat against the Blues.
Jorgensen has played just 14 Super Rugby matches, is yet to debut for the Wallabies and is off contract with the Waratahs and Rugby Australia at the end of this year.
On Thursday Wallabies and Waratahs centre Izaia Perese announced he would be leaving the Waratahs to join Leicester Tigers next season, giving RA even more impetus to secure the immediate future of the young fullback soon.
RA and NSW Rugby have already pitched a three-year deal to Jorgensen and his management to take him through to the 2027 World Cup, although so far, it remains unsigned.
Waratahs youngster Max Jorgensen. Credit: Getty
G’day rugby fans.
Welcome to our live coverage of today’s match between the Tahs and Fijian Drua in Lautoka, Fiji.
A fascinating contest awaits, with both sides eager to make their way up the ladder. The Tahs and the Drua have just one win from their four starts this year, sitting ninth and 10th respectively.
It’s an early kick-off for Aussie viewers. Grab a bite and a coffee. We’ll be off and away at 12:05pm AEDT.
The Waratahs suffered another narrow defeat last week against the Blues. Credit: Getty
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