Hooker and captain Tevita Ikanivere yesterday scored a try in each half as the Fijian Drua beat the 14-man Queensland Reds 28-19 in hot conditions in Suva to hold on to eighth place and a playoff chance in Super Rugby Pacific.
The Reds (fifth on the table with 31 points) were reduced to 14 men for 20 minutes in the second half when winger Suliasi Vunivalu received a second yellow card for a foot trip after serving 10 minutes for the same offense in the first half.
The double yellow meant an automatic red card.
Photo: AFP
The Drua’s fifth win in six home matches this season kept them in eighth place on 21 points after 13 of 15 regular-season rounds.
“We didn’t perform last week [in a 48-10 loss to the Western Force], but we still filled the stadium this week and that was for our fans and our families,” said Ikanivere, who was a powerhouse for the Drua, leading them in carries.
“I challenged everyone this week to show up today. They showed up and I just scored the tries because I was there at the right time,” he said.
Photo: AP
Vunivalu took his first trip to the sin-bin in the third minute when Kitione Salawa slipped through a narrow gap in the Reds defense, stepped off his right foot and seemed to be heading in under the posts. As the last defender Vunivalu stretched out his leg to bring Salawa down, earning a yellow card and giving up a penalty try and a 7-0 lead.
Later yesterday, the ACT Brumbies (third, 43) secured a home playoff after a last-minute penalty try ensured a 31-24 win over the Canterbury Crusaders (10th, 15) in Canberra, table-toppers the Auckland Blues (50 points) beat the visiting Otago Highlanders (seventh, 23) 47-13 and the Western Force (ninth, 19) trounced the NSW Waratahs (12th, 12) 27-7 in Perth.
On Friday, the Wellington Hurricanes (second, 47) beat Moana Pasifika (11th, 14) 32-24 and the Waikato Chiefs (fourth, 42) downed the Melbourne Rebels (sixth, 26) 26-23.
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