Manaaki Selby-Rickit on his way to the tryline for the Chiefs. Photo: Paul Taylor/ActionPress
Analysis - It was definitely a tough weekend for the Pasifika teams in the Super Rugby competition.
On Friday night, Moana Pasifika left it too late in their attempt to defeat the Chiefs at Pukekohe, South Auckland, in round six of the Super Rugby Pacific competition.
While they were able to come back strong at the resumption of the second spell, the damage had been done in the first 40 minutes, as the Chiefs held on to a 50-35 victory in the end.
The Fiji Drua had flown to Perth the previous weekend, hoping that they could end their winless run on the road.
But the Western Force showed their strength and power, striking the Drua sails with stormy winds that sent the helpless visitors back-tracking throughout the match.
In the end, the hosts won 52-15 on Sunday night.
FBC Sports reported the "hosts ran riot, crossing for multiple tries and shutting down Drua's attacking threats from the outset".
The Force led 33-5 at halftime, scoring five first-half tries, with Fiji's only response coming through Ilaisa Droasese just before the break.
Then it was the Fijian Drua women's team who also suffered the same fate, going down 47-31, although the match was a lot closer than the men's show earlier in the evening.
That Super Rugby W competition result is what the Drua were trying to avoid, especially as they chase a home semifinal this year.
Here are five lessons the three teams could have learned from their matches:
1. Good start, good finish
All three coaches - Fa'alogo Tana Umaga (Moana Pasifika), Glen Jackson (Fiji Drua) and Ifereimi Rawaqa (Fijian Drua women's) - had emphasised continuously during the week the importance of starting well and finishing well.
But that seemed to evaporate into the night skies at Pukekohe and in Perth on Friday and Sunday night.
Moana Pasifika - the Chiefs had a dominant first half, blitzing their opposition.
Four unanswered tries to hooker Bradley Slater and Shaun Stevenson gave the Chiefs a 17-0 lead.
Then Xavier Roe and Leroy Carter added to that tally before Moana Pasifika hit back in the 32nd minute. Pepesana Patafilo burst through the line to set up William Havili.
The Chiefs were 43-7 up by the end of the first 40.
Then it was Moana Pasifika who turned up the heat to claim three tries.
Sama Malolo, Tuna Tuitama and Havili all crossed over for tries.
But it was too much to overcome, with Samisoni Taukei'aho's rolling maul try with two minutes to go sealing the win without a bonus point.
Fiji Drua - a similar performance by the Drua against the Force saw them trailing 5-33 in the first half, with the home team returning to continue the onslaught in the second.
Disappointing for the Drua was their defence constantly broken, almost at will by the fired up Force, who had lost to the Crusaders the previous weekend.
More disappointing was the fact that the Drua struggled with discipline, basic errors and injuries.
Their inability to regather kick-offs and losing the ball close in contacts stood out again and needs urgent attention.
Fijian Drua women - the Force led 33-14 at halftime.
That alone indicates how the Drua fared in that first 40.
They lost 47-31 in the end.
Comeback they did in the second half, but it was "too little, too late".
The match started with promise for the Drua, as they opened the scoring early through a try by Karalaini Naisewa, converted by Luisa Tisolo.
However, the Force quickly responded, with Sera Naiqama and Tamika Jones crossing over to take the lead.
All three teams must urgently address that failure - being able to start well and finish well.
It has already taken them more than enough time to realise and rectify that.
If they do not then they can forget about finishing in the top against the best in their respective competition.
2. Get it right
In a highly competitive environment, the golden rule is always, 'get it right'.
That spoke to the three teams' abilities to get their basics right from the word go.
All three teams were guilty of being inconsistent with their set-pieces (scrums and lineouts), plus losing the ball in contact, where they knocked on during tackles or when they get on the ground.
Some might argue that other teams are also suffering from the same, but the stats will show the Pasifika three are committing those mistakes more.
Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua will need to start winning matches now if they want to finish in the top six.
They will not achieve that if they are not able to get their own basics.
The Drua women's team are in a better position currently, but they will still need to improve on their basics as well.
It is not going to get any easier from now on.
So, to be able to get the results needed, the formula is simple - get your basics right first, the rest will follow.
3. Kicks critical
The kicking game is always a critical part of rugby.
More so, the ability to score points from the boots, especially through conversions of tries and penalties.
Caleb Muntz missed three conversion attempts; that meant six points gone begging for the Drua.
Patrick Pellegrini did well on Friday night for Moana Pasifika and has proven to be a consistent kicker so far.
Isaiah Washington-Ravula also missed one conversion on Sunday night.
In the end, all those missed kicks tallied up.
4. Best XV
While Moana Pasifika and Drua women are selecting their best XV available, it appears Drua men's head coach Jackson has lost sight of the goal at hand.
Some fans are even suggesting he might be doing it out of desperation by not selecting his best players for matches.
Jackson has been using the excuse that he needs to give every player a chance to play as his cover.
But in the process he has not been able to get the wins needed, to ensure that the team is on track for a top six finish.
Drua fans can almost name their best XVs for any game, taking into account the players' performances so far.
Yet, Jackson has kept on changing his lineups every week. The result so far being one win from six games.
The last two have had bigger margins of losses compared to their first three rounds, where they lost within seven points in each match.
The question now being asked is: Does Jackson really want the team to get that top six spot?
Or ist his a tactic to ensure the Drua do not go past the rounds of competition, thus not being able to challenge for the top prize?
Far-fetched it may seem, but if the some fans are beginning to have that drift then it definitely needs some serious re-look.
Moana Pasifika, on the other hand, have shown marked improvement this season.
Going against them, though, is injuries to some of their best players.
That list has included captain Ardie Savea, whose older brother Julian has not been able to be part of the action so far, except for about 15 minutes in the pre-season clash against the Highlanders in February.
5. Results
In any sport, whatever it may be, the result on the field matters.
No excuses. If the results don't come, then the coaches need to start looking at themselves and how they are working with their players.
Fans and investors alike team up with winners.
If they are not winning, they at least show some signs that they are on the right track.
If not, then reviews need to be carried out.
Is the coach the right man for the job?
Does he have the right players to work with?
Are the players teachable?
Of course, there is the argument that all three teams are 'babies' in their respective competition.
But everyone has moved on.
The excuse that the other teams have been in it for the last 20 years is not acceptable.
Players have changed. And that means they have changed also.
The Crusaders and the Blues are classic examples. 2024 saw the Blues top the competition and claim the title.
They are currently floating around at the bottom of the points table.
Crusaders, on the other hand, were doomed to the lowest end of the table around this time last year. Yet, they are up there amongst the top four now.
What changed? Perhaps a lesson for the Drua to learn from.
A good time for them to get that done, with a rest weekend before they enter the last 10 rounds of matches.
