The Drua won a late victory, 36- 33 against the Reds, in Suva at National Stadium. Photo: Supplied/ Super Rugby Pacific
Backed by around 10,000 fans, the Fijian Drua have turned it on at the Suva National Stadium to pip the Queensland Reds 36-33 in a Super Rugby Pacific round 12 clash.
Having trailed 19-15 at half-time, the Fijians started the second half strongly and capped off their performance with replacement Isikeli Rabitu crashing through in the dying seconds of the game.
The Saturday afternoon match was a game of first for many of the Drua players, the side led for the first time by veteran prop Mesake Doge.
Flanker Isoa Tuwai and lock forward Mesake Vocevoce got over the white line each, recording their first tries in the competition.
The Reds have not won any of their matches on Fiji soil since the competition started in 2022.
But despite the win, the Drua continue to sit at the bottom of the competition standings, while the Reds' campaign for a top six spot got some awakening.
Drua captain Doge, who claimed one of the team's six tries, thanked the fans.
The others went to winger Taniela Rakuro, flankers Etonia Waqa and Tuwai, lock forward Vocevoce and Rabitu.
"Thank God, it has been a while and we get a win here in Suva," Doge said.
"I would like to thank the fans. Thank you for coming out today.
"We know you are always faithful and like I always say, this team is yours and not only ours."
He praised the players for staying in the fight and getting the win in the end.
"It's been a hard week for us as a club... And these boys have fought hard this week, and I know it is not easy," Doge said.
"And you can see in that last 10 seconds of the game, these boys came out fighting. That shows our spirit as a nation."
Doge said his try was the result of team-work, especially for a tighthead like him to get in the position of scoring a try.
"It's always fortunate for a tighthead to score a try," he said.
"A, grateful to the boys for the effort they put in and I was lucky to be there to be able to score that try."
Reds captain, halfback Tate McDermott said they were rattled and punished by a fired up Drua team.
"Obviously we were disappointed," he said.
"The Drua play a physical game and we missed too many tackles. We got a bonus point, and it's better than nothing.
"We let them score too easy, too many times. Against a team like the Drua you give them too much space with the ball they gonna make you pay."
The Reds had hung on to a 33-29 lead as the last seconds of the game were ticking away, and the Drua were hard on attack.
Reds loosie Seru Uru, who is originally from Yasawa in Fiji, had claimed a turn over close to the Reds' line but he could not control the ball and spilled it forward in the hands of Rabitu.
The rest, as they say, is now history.
Tit for tat in first 40
The two teams went tit-for-tat in the first half, scoring three tries apiece.
But the Reds hung on to a four points lead, leading 19-15 at half-time.
Drua opened the scoring when Rakuro finished off a Fijian passing movement, with a timed pass from Vuate Karawalevu to dash in untouched from 10 metres out.
The Reds responded with one of their own, through fullback Jock Campbell, who took the final pass from Uru - a former Fiji under-20 rep.
Fiji Drua's second try saw a combination between Queen Victoria School old scholars, with captain for the day, Doge finishing that off.
It started from a 40 metre run by flanker Waqa, who was pulled short a metre from the Reds' line, before his former school mate, halfback Simione Kuruvoli picked up and tried to dive over.
He was pushed back into the field but the halfback released the ball to another former scholar, Doge, who only had to fall across the tryline to claim his second Super Rugby Pacific try.
Waqa claimed Drua's third for the first half when he got the pass again from Kuruvoli from behind the rucks and side stepped Reds' winger Tim Ryan before diving across close to the corner flag.
Uru was on the scoreboard for the Reds as well.
Good second half start
Lock forward Vocevoce opened the scoring for the Drua in the second half when he carried players across the line, in between the posts and under the crossbar. That came from a lineout take, which the forwards pack took forward before a number of hit ups towards the Reds line.
Vocevoce was on hand to take the pass and drove through the Reds defensive line to register his first ever Super Rugby try.
That try gave the Drua a 22-19 lead, and with fans backing them the players sprung back into life.
A 15 minutes spell had the home side on the forward pedal, and flanker Tuwai claimed his first Super Rugby try, diving across the line.
It was a movement that was inspired by replacements Elia Canakaivata and Tevita Ikanivere, who led the drives, and halfback Philip Baselala, who kept the ball firing left and right.
But former All Black and Reds prop Jeffery Toomaga-Allen responded after the visitors stringed some good forward drive together to keep the Reds in the hunt, closing the gap to 29-26.
That ignited the Reds' second life into action as they hustled their way into the Drua half.
A penalty in the 69th minute gave the Reds another good opportunity to attack the Fijian line and a second penalty called close to the Drua five metre line saw the Brisbane side take another lineout maul.
Replacement Max Craig dived over from the back of the maul to put the Reds up 33-29.
As time slipped away, Drua attacked once again, but winger Selestino Ravutaumada threw a wild pass infield just a metre away from the Red's corner flag, which the defence intercepted, with replacement halfback.
With two minutes to go Drua got their last chance to claim the win, with a penalty awarded to them as Red's flanker Fraser McReight was shown the yellow card for continuous infringements in the ruck.
Rabitu crashed his way through to claim the winning try, which fullback Isaiah Washington-Ravula converted as the final hooter sounded, sending Fijian fans into celebration on the National Stadium stands.
The win also sets the Drua on ground standing, as they have two more home games in the coming weekends, against the Blues and Western Force.
The Reds return home to host the Brumbies at home in Round 13.
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