Len Ikitau of the Brumbies is tackled by Selestino Ravutaumada of the Drua during the Super Rugby Pacific Round 5 match between the Brumbies and the Fijian Drua at GIO Stadium in Canberra. 14 March 2025. Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch / Photosport
Key decisions at critical moments still stood out for the Fijian Drua as they went down 38-21 to the Brumbies at Gio Stadium in Canberra on Friday night in round five of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific competition.
Two kickable penalties were turned down as the team opted to take set-piece tap moves metres away from the try line, and in both instances, the Drua lost possession and ended up with no points to score.
In losing, the side also continued their winless run away from home, which had started way back in 2023.
It also puts pressure on the side to get a win against the Western Force in Perth this weekend if they are serious about finishing in the top six of the competition.
Here are five takeaways from the match:
- 1. Key decisions
In a tightly contested match, every decision is critical and has a direct effect on the end result.
Three kickable penalties were awarded to the Drua in the match, which the team opted to tap instead of going for the sidleline or kicking for goal.
Of the three, only one resulted in the Drua getting points on the board, which was the very first they had tapped, following a set move, with number eight Elia Canakanavata diving over to score a try.
Two more saw the ball lost, and the Brumbies countered. In the end, Drua got no points from the decision, and that worked against them on the scoreboard after 80 minutes.
Another key decision was when halfback and co-captain Frank Lomani opted to kick the ball in the first 10 minutes of the game, when he had the option to set his backline on the run.
That resulted in a turnover to the Brumbies and threw away an opportunity where they could have scored some points.
- 2. Refs calls
As always,the main match official was again at the centre of some calls deemed controversial by fans and critics.
Jordan Way would have had a full pocket of angry words thrown at him by Drua fans all over the world, especially when he did not award advantages to the Drua while the Brumbies were seen either displaying professional fouls in play.
One such moment was when he disallowed Tevita Ikanivere's try in the second spell, when footage showed the Drua co-captain had lost the ball when he dived over the line.
Prior to Ikanivere catching a chip ahead from flyhalf Isaiah Washington-Ravula, Way did not indicate two possible penalty advantages along the way, the second was when Ravula was taken out as he chased the chip kick.
Having initially awarded the try, Way was alerted to the knock-on by the TMO before he disallowed the try but failed to indicate any penalty.
Head coach Glen Jackson, a former international referee himself, was disappointed.
He pointed out two instance where he thought Way was wrong.
"If there's a chip-and-chase and the last defender sticks his shoulder out, if it's a penalty, it should be a yellow card," Jackson told the media after the game.
"A few weeks ago, we lost a game because of a collapsed maul near the try line. This time, we had the same situation, but it was just a penalty, not a yellow card."
- 3. Re-focus
Lomani told the media the referee's decisions affected their performance and put the players off track.
"We come in to win games, and those calls they change momentum," he told reporters.
"I think we had them in the first 15 minutes. We were building that momentum. I think that call changed the momentum where we were playing on top of them. That call, just gave them back the ball and they just put it down the paddock and then we were just struggling from there."
The Drua must learn to be professional in their approach, making sure they are mentally fit to keep on focusing on the task at hand.
Had they kept to their structure and basics, the victory could still have been theirs in the end.
- 4. Away losses
The loss against the Brumbies extended the Drua's winless record on the road since 2023.
In fact, the only two away wins they have recorded in the Super Rugby Pacific competition so far have been against Moana Pasifika.
That is one challenge the Drua will have to try to overcome over the next rounds of away matches, starting with the Western Force in Perth this weekend.
One thing is clear now: if the Drua want to be in the top six they will need to win away matches from now on.
Winning home matches is not guaranteed either.
- 5. Depth
Player rotation has helped develop depth in the Drua squad.
That has seen their bench still having a big impact on how the team finish their games.
Going forward, Jackson and his team will need to make the right selections of players, with the critical rounds coming up middle round.
With the way results have been going so far, every bonus point, either by losses within seven points or through scoring more than four tries, is important.
It remains to be seen if the Drua can take their learnings and turn them into winning matches.
