Elia Canakaivata touches down Photo: Fijian Drua
Fijian Drua failed to make the most of the opportunities against the Blues at Churchill Park in Lautoka going down 30-14 in Super Rugby Pacific round 10.
Meanwhile, Moana Pasifika look consigned to the wooden spoon after suffering a ninth successive defeat, despite a late rally that could have gained something from their game.
Fijian Drua coach Mick Byrne admitted the 14-30 loss to the Blues was a bitter pill to swallow.
The Drua, he believed, showed class and flair for parts of the game which he felt should have been capitalised on.
"The Blues are a good side and if you get an opportunity to breach them and get behind them, you need to score. We didn't take those opportunities on four occasions in the first half and I thought we gave them a soft try just before the halftime hooter went," he said.
And that's just how the game went. The Drua breached the Blues' defence on a number of occasions but failed to capitalise on them. In the end, it came back to haunt them as the Blues maintained composure to come out victors in front of a large local crowd.
It was also a game that eventually turned into a stop-start affair, with the Blues falling back on controlled and smart rugby.
They effectively nullified the Drua centres, and when the heat took its toll on the body, they slowed down the pace, and kept possession close to the fringes of the rucks.
The pick and drives guaranteed them possession for long stretches, kept the ball close to the pack, and kept the intensity low, obviously to their liking.
In the end, experience counted. It meant controlling the tempo of the game, cutting the seconds with kicks for touch and for goal, and basically controlling the set pieces.
The Blues controlled the scrums, dominated the lineouts, and were assertive in the counter-rucks.
"They nullified the effectiveness of our outside backs with a strong defensive shape that was telling throughout the game. They caged in five eight Teti Tela and were aggressive inside our red zone," Byrne said.
"When you're playing a good side, you need to seize your moments and capitalise on the opportunity.
"There were obviously many lessons to learn from that game.
"In fact, when you are playing a class side like the Blues, it should be about lapping up the moments, appreciating the beauty of controlled aggression and smart rugby, especially when you are also playing against the elements," Byrne said.
In hot and humid conditions the Blues turned their first visit to Fiji to face the Drua into a display of their set-piece superiority and power to run in three tries to two and become the first team to beat Drua at home this year.
The Drua's highlight came in the 34th minute when they punished the visitors for an error off the restart, with skipper Tevita Ikanivere carrying strong and Elia Canakaivata finishing nicely.
At Churchill Park, Lautoka: Blues 30 (Rieko Ioane try 28min, Cameron Suafoa try 39min, Dalton Papalii try 50min; Beauden Barrett 2 pens, 3 cons; Harry Plummer pen), Fijian Drua 14 (Elia Canakaivata 2 tries 34min, 66min; Teti Tela con; Kemu Valetini con). HT: 20-7.
Pasifika battle hard in Auckland
The Melbourne Rebels defeated Moana Pasifika 43-33 at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland.
The Rebels raced out to a 26-5 lead at the break and extended it to 38-12 in the second half.
However, Moana Pasifika kept in touch and suddenly found themselves with a chance to win the game with 30 seconds to go.
When Fine Isi scored his second try in the final minute the gap was down to five points and Moana Pasifika were able to have one last attack.
However, the ball was turned over and Monty Ioane scored for the Rebels to secure the win.
"We asked for a lot of heart through the week, we asked for our defence and the actions of our defence to show how much we cared and I thought that was really evident tonight," head coach Aaron Mauger told Stuff afterwards.
"I think we made 70 tackles in the first 15 minutes of the game and that's probably half the tackles we make over a whole game.
"Credit to the Rebels, they put us under pressure, but ultimately you've got to secure your own set piece ball to win games.
"We showed we were good enough when we hold the ball and build pressure, but a bit of set piece ball would have allowed us to do that a bit more."
Moana Pasifika wore red and blue heritage jerseys which pays tribute to the impact of Samoan and Tongan Rugby on the Pacific region and the success they have enjoyed on the world stage.
Moana Pasifika are now 11 points behind 11th-placed Fijian Drua on the ladder with five games to go.
At Mt Smart, Auckland: Rebels 43 (tries: Anderson, Kemeny, Gordon, Feliuai, Mafi 2, Ioane; cons: Hodge 4/7), Moana Pasifika 33 (tries: Foma'i, Aumua, Funaki, F. Inisi 2, cons: Lealiifano 0/1, McClutchie 5/5) HT: 26-5
