Jack Mesley during the 2025 Super Rugby Season Launch at Little Bay Beach in Sydney. Photo: Matt King/Getty
Fijian Drua v Chiefs
Kick-off: 4:35pm Saturday 8 March
Churchill Park, Lautoka
Live blog coverage on RNZ Sport
Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley has addressed the concerns of the Fijian Drua after travel and accommodation issues blighted their recent away game against the Hurricanes in Napier.
Mesley admitted that "oversights and breakdowns in communications" resulted in the Drua having to pile into the back of a luggage truck to get to their hotel on arrival in Auckland, after arriving close to midnight.
"Essentially what happened was several oversights and breakdowns in communications were identified which created those challenges for the Drua," Mesley said.
Junior Ratuva makes a break during the round two Super Rugby Pacific match between Hurricanes and Fijian Drua at McLean Park. Photo: Kerry Marshall/Getty Images
"And we have now addressed those issues with the clubs and an external transport provider. But yeah, it's really disappointing that it happened."
Upon arrival, the Drua then shared the same hotel in Napier as the Hurricanes but were told they could not get a late check-out ahead of the 4pm game, because the city was also hosting a major triathlon festival that weekend.
But, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Drua later learned the Hurricanes were able to stay at the hotel until just before the kick-off.
In a post on Facebook, former Fiji, Waratahs and Crusaders winger Nemani Nadolo questioned how it could even happen.
"What frustrates me the most is that after a long flight, the team arrives at the airport only to find that their bus is nowhere to be seen. Instead of waiting another three hours for it to arrive, the boys jump in the back of a truck to get to the hotel," Nadolo said.
"To make matters worse, they're denied a late checkout, leaving them to either wander around or sleep in the lobby for hours-while the Hurricanes squad gets to rest comfortably in their rooms right up until game time.
"Me and a lot of others said they lost that game in the last 10 minutes. But after hearing what happened, I think they actually lost the game the minute they landed in Auckland."
Drua coach Glen Jackson, left and Hurricanes coach Craig Laidlaw right during the Super Rugby Pacific match at McLean Park, Napier. Photo: Paul Taylor/ActionPress
The game was held at McLean Park, the first time a Super Rugby fixture had been held there in four years. The Hurricanes won the match 38-34 thanks to a late Harry Godfrey try.
Meanwhile, the Drua welcome the Chiefs to Churchill Park in Lautoka on Saturday afternoon. Coach Glen Jackson acknowledged their "tough couple of weeks on the road".
"We're looking forward to getting back to Lautoka, it's a ground we really enjoy playing at and to have an eight day turnaround has been really good for us," he said. The Drua will be desperate for a win, having dropped their first three games by slim margins.
"Morale's very high, we're starting a fair bit of rotation of our squad. We're massively focused on how to beat the Chiefs," said Jackson.
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