Fiji rugby’s long season of success came to a sudden end yesterday when the Fijian Drua were beaten 34-10 by the Auckland Blues on the first weekend of the new Super Rugby Pacific season.
Fans of Fiji have had much to celebrate over the past nine months as the Drua reached the Super Rugby quarter-finals for the first time last year and the Fiji national team reached the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup, beating Australia on the way.
There was hope that success would carry over into a new season for the Drua, but the Blues put an end to those hopes when they ran in five tries to lead 29-3 by halftime in Whangarei.
Photo: AFP
Winger Caleb Clarke scored under the posts as first receiver from one scrum and fullback Zarn Sullivan scored in the left corner from another as the Blues ran out to a comfortable lead in the first half.
At the start of the second half, the Drua scored a try through lock Leone Rotuisolia.
“We had some moments when we were in form, but there were some moments which were a bit scratchy,” Blues captain Dalton Papali’i said. “At the end of the day, we know the Drua are going to bring it all. They play such a good style of football that you’ve got to be on all the time.”
On Friday, World Rugby’s “smart” mouthguard technology struck teething problems, with players baffled by the need to undergo seemingly needless concussion tests during the season-opening match.
Canterbury Crusaders captain Scott Barrett described the mandatory safety initiative as “a step too far” after his team were affected in their 33-29 loss to the Waikato Chiefs.
Under the World Rugby rollout, to be used in all elite competitions this year, players wear mouthguards fitted with sensors that measure “head acceleration events.”
Matchday medical staff monitor the mouthguards for alerts and can remove players from the game for head injury assessments.
Crusaders lock Quinten Strange and Chiefs backs Anton Lienert-Brown and Quinn Tupaea were all visibly bemused when called from the field during the high-profile competition opener in Hamilton — a rematch of last year’s final.
None of the trio believed they were injured and returned to the game after undergoing medical tests.
Barrett said the initiative was disruptive and had the potential to influence the outcome of a match.
“Honestly, I think it’s probably a step too far for a player,” he said. “When you’re getting dragged and you’re looking around: ‘what actually happened?’”
“Obviously we want player welfare and that’s paramount, but I think if you’re influencing the game when key players are going off and they don’t know what for, I think that can be frustrating for a player,” he said.
In other Round 1 games, the Brumbies beat the Rebels 30-3, the Hurricanes beat the Force 44-14, the Highlanders defeated Moana Pasifika 35-21 and the Reds downed the Waratahs 40-22.
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