Fijian Drua will be based in Fiji for the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season.
The Drua were based at the New South Wales Sport and Recreation Centre in Lennox Head, Australia this year.
Kalaveti Ravouvou of Fijian Drua during the recent Super Rugby Pacific match against the Crusaders Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2022 www.photosport.nz
Head Coach Mick Byrne says the Fiji-based players are back home for good.
The Drua takes on the Chiefs on Saturday at Churchill Park in Lautoka in their final game of the 2022 campaign, which has brought just two wins.
Players will have a four weeks break before attending daily training exercises at their respective Fiji Rugby Union High Performance centers in Suva, Sigatoka and Nadi.
Number eight Te Ahiwaru is unavailable for selection against the Chiefs.
"Unfortunately Big T is carrying a couple of symptoms from his head knock and you know we have to look after our players, health is number one and he tried to train yesterday in the gym and felt a bit of pressure in his head so he's out for the moment, so with those symptoms I'd find it hard for him to be available this week," said Byrne.
Captain Nemani Nagusa and Kitione Ratu are sick and are being monitored.
Byrne is confident after collecting all the stats this season, Drua will hit or be thereabouts in terms of ball in play minutes.
With one game left, the Drua on average have around 30 minutes of actual playing time out of the 80.
However, in some games, the side managed to hit only 17 or 18 minutes ball in play time.
Byrne said hanging on to the ball is something they'll definitely need to improve next year.
"I think most of the international standards are in 34, 35 minutes. We won't be much different. Super Rugby tends to have more ball in play time than the overseas northern hemisphere sides. We should be alright, we'll work through that process and across the board we should be somewhere in the mid-30s."
One player in particular that's good at keeping the ball alive is Kalaveti Ravouvou.
Ravouvou said the Chiefs are one of the best in the business.
"The Chiefs are a good team because they have some All Blacks in the squad, they'll give us a good game, however, we are also preparing well for this last game"
