Fijian Drua beat the Crusaders Photo: Getty
Super Rugby Pacific - Drua wins
The Fijian Drua claimed their first win of the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season at home in Lautoka on Saturday, burying the Crusaders 20-10 in the heat.
Coach Mick Byrne, captain Meli Derenalagi and senior rep Frank Lomani thanked the fans after and on Monday the team turn their focus to the Chiefs, who they will face in Hamilton this week.
"I'm really proud of the team and I'm proud of our non-23 players they were the ones that trained with us and pushed us to up the standards," Derenalagi told the media after the game.
"They set the platform during the week when we hit training and they helped us to see what needs to be improved. They set the benckmark for us today."
Halfback Lomani, who was one of the two try-scorers for the Drua, thanked the fans and their families for the support.
"Coming out here, seeing our families, our friends, turning up in numbers. This is what we are grateful for. And you're the reason why we play and how we play," Lomani said.
"I think winning for the first time is massive for us but defending our territory was more challenging than winning for the first time."
Byrne said they now turn to the Chiefs, who they will play in Hamilton on Saturday.
"For us to focus on our game, continue to carry the ball will look after the ball around the contact area and recycle it and go ahead and ask the questions," he said when asked what they would need to do against the Chiefs.
"We have a talented team that will ask a lot of questions if we got the ball. So that will be a big focus again for us."
Both teams were looking for their first win, following loses in the first two rounds.
The Drua lost to the Blues in Whangarei in their first game and were pipped at the end by Moana Pasifika in Melbourne in round two.
The Crusaders were outdone by the Chiefs in Hamilton in round one and then suffered a shock loss to the Waratahs in Melbourne during the Super Round two weekends ago.
Last Saturday, the Crusaders opened the scoring with former Queen Victoria School student Sevu Reece slicing through the Drua backline to touch down for his 50rh Super Rugby try 18 minutes into the game.
Drua responded with a try of their own, winger Selestino Ravutaumada stepping his way through to the tryline after a long pass from Lomani.
Lomani scored the Drua's second try and first five-eighth Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula put the issue beyond down by landing his second penalty goal three minutes from the end.
Drua 20 (Selestino Ravutaumada, Frank Lomani tries; Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula 2 con, 2 pen) Crusaders 10 (Sevu Reece try; Taha Kemara con, pen). HT: 10-10
Julian Savea of Moana Pasifika scores a try during the Super Rugby Pacific game between Moana Pasifika v Melbourne Rebels, held at FMG Stadium, Hamilton, New Zealand on Friday 8th March 2024. Photo credit: Andrew Skinner / www.photosport.nz Photo: Andrew Skinner/www.photosport.nz
Moana Pasifika drops games but gets a bonus point
Moana Pasifika could not win the game but managed a bonus point as they lost 29-23 to the Rebels in Hamilton on Friday night.
The side had the chance to win their second game of the season but mistakes gave their opportunities away.
But the story of the night was Julian Savea scoring his 61st try and moving to the top of the Super Rugby try-scoring list.
Savea finished off a good Moana Pasifika move eight minutes into the second half when he received a pass from wing Pepesana Patafilo to score in the corner.
He now leads the try-scorers table ahead of Israel Folau who he was tied with at 60 tries coming into the 2024 season.
Full back William Havili's last penalty attempt saw Moana Pasifika earning a bonus point.
Moana Pasifika 23 (Allan Craig, Julian Savea tries; William Havili 2 con, 3 pen) Rebels 29 ( Andrew Kelleway, Ryan Louwrens, Vaiolini Ekuasi, Lachie Anderson, Glenn Vaihu tries; Carter Gordon 2 con). HT: 10-19
In other matches: Highlanders defeated the Waratahs 23-21; Brumbies pipped the Western Force 22-19; Hurricanes defeated the Blues 29-21; Reds beating the Chiefs 25-19.
REGIONAL SPORTS
Fiji rugby
The Suva under-20 women's team recorded the biggest scores in the Fiji Rugby Union Marama Cup competition at the weekend, thrashing Yasawa 115-0 at Bidesi Park in Suva on Saturday.
Full results: Skipper Cup - Premier: Suva 32 Yasawa 24, Nadroga 36 Naitasiri 27, Lautoka 26 Macuata 16, Ba 24 Tailevu 33; Under-20: Lautoka 26 Macuata 16, Nadroga 30 Naitasiri 26, Ba 20 Tailevu 11, Suva 26 Yasawa 20; Women - Marama Cup Senior: Naitasiri 39 Nadroga 15, Suva 22 Yasawa 14, Nasinu 40 Lautoka 27, Ba 26 Serua 17; Under-20: Lautoka 61 Nasinu 0, Suva 115 Yasawa 0
Cook Islands touch
Team GAT remains undefeated and leads the 2024 Cook Islands Touch open men's competition after round two at the National Stadium in Nikao, Cook Islands News reported.
Nukz Power holds the top spot in the women's category, with an unbeaten run and 18 points.
Warriors (men) and Bounty Hunters (women) follow closely behind in second place with 14 points each. KAPs (men) and Team Nikz (women) sit in third with 10 points each, while Nukz Power (men) and FBI (women) occupy the fourth position.
In the women's category, Bounty defeated FBI 6-1 on field one.
Bounty ladies were determined to hold onto their current second placing and proved this by scoring six tries as a team, said Touch president Julieanne (Julz) Westrupp.
Try scorer for the FBI team was Lillian Maui.
On field two, the undefeated Nukz Power faced Team Nikz, winning 4-2.
The men's category saw one-sided games, with GAT defeating KAPs 11-3 and Warriors overpowering Nukz Power 12-1.
Cook Islands athletics
Cook Islands sprinter Daniel Tolosa has equalled the longstanding 60 metre national record of 7.23 seconds.
Cok Island News reported that Tolosa achieved this feat at the World Indoor Championship (WIC) in Glasgow, Scotland.
The national record was set by Harmon Harmon on March 5, 2004, at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Tolosa's next international event will be the Oceania Athletics Championship from June 1-8 in Suva, Fiji.
OFC competition
A penalty apiece in the opening match at the OFC Women's Champions League saw Tafea FC and Hekari United share the points in Honiara, with both teams levelled 1-1.
Two penalties in the first half ensured a share of the spoils, with Tafea FC also missing another spot kick in the second-half, forgoing the chance to take all three points.
Morning showers had eased by kick off, although the Honiara heat had set in at SIFF Academy, with neither side able to truly settle in to their rhythm in the opening stages.
Tafea FC: 1 (Jane ALATOA (P) 37',) Hekari United FC: 1 (Phylis PALA (P) 45+8',), HT: 1-1
Diana Sine of Tafea FC was the Player of the Match.
World 7s series
Tonga and Papua New Guinea were not able to make it into the top four of the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series second tournament in Uruguay on Sunday.
The PNG men's team lost 31-14 to Uruguay, 36-0 to Germany and 22-17 to Uganda in pool play. Georgia then defeated them 26-7 in the 9th place play-off but PNG returned to win 47-12 against Mexcio to finish 11th overall..
Tonga won 40-5 over Georgia, lost 17-12 to Portugal and 17-14 to Kenya in their pool matches. Tonga lost 26-7 against Hong Kong China in the quarterfinal and finished seventh
The PNG wiomen's team were thrashed 37-5 by Belgium, lost to Kenya 29-12 and beaten 27-14 by Hong Kong China. They also lost 19-5 to Paraguay in the 9th place play-off and 19-12 to Mexico in the 11th place play-off.
-Send your weekend sports results to be included in Pasifika Sipoti's weekly update from around the region published every Monday. Email to: iliesa.tora@rnz.co.nz