Suva’s National Stadium will be a sea of blue as Drua fans come together for a historic double-header against the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday.
It is the first time the men's and women's teams will play together in Fiji and coincides with the Fijiana’s inaugural Super W game in the nation's capital.
The Drua men will be looking to recover from their first blowout loss of the season last week in Dunedin.
The injury-plauged Highlanders managed to put the tired-looking Drua to the sword in a 57–24 demolition.
But the Fijians don’t need to dig deep to revive recent glory.
Their last home game, a victory against the reigning champion Crusaders, was only three weeks ago in Lautoka.
Their historic 25-24 win reverberated around the world and garnered an international outpouring of love and support for not just the Drua, but for Fiji.
The Fijian Drua are having a solid year despite two ugly losses, as well as a narrow defeat to the mid-table Queensland Reds, a game that could have easily gone the Fijian’s way if it weren’t for a few crucial errors.
But the two wins they have on the board have jumped them up the ladder from 11th to 9th.
Landing in the top eight is possible, and critical if they’re to make a charge for final play-offs in their second year in the competition.
It’s a different story for their Pacific Island brothers, Moana Pasifika, for whom big losses have become a theme.
The team received a 59-0 hiding from the Hurricanes last week.
Moana remains at the bottom of the ladder as they struggle to find their legs in Super Rugby Pacific, registering only two wins since they debuted with the Fijian Drua last year.
The Drua will not underestimate the Rebels.
The Melbourne side should be full of confidence following their hard-fought 40-39 upset against the Reds last week.
Melbourne has exceeded expectations this year and are currently tying for third place with the Reds for the most tries scored this season.
The Drua had two encounters with the Rebels last year, both in March. The Drua won the first 31-26 and lost the second 42-27.
Meanwhile, the undefeated Fijiana Drua had a memorable debut victory over the Melbourne Rebels women last year.
The Rebels were the Drua's first opponent in the Super W. It didn’t end well for Melbourne who went down 66–5.
The Rebels must’ve been awed by the Fijians and enticed over two of their front row players, Vika Matarugu and Jiowana Sauto. The women commenced their international career with the Rebels this year.
Captain of the Fijiana Drua Bitila Tawake said the presence of her two former teammates is "a threat", but the Drua should be quietly confident.
They have the home ground advantage and are facing the Melbourne side after the Rebels were thumped 43-0 by the Reds in last week’s first round of the Super W.
Victory for the Fijiana Drua on Saturday would be their eighth consecutive win.
If both the Druas win, on the same day, and on the same patch of Fijian soil, the rugby-loving nation will embrace the historic moment. Celebrations will be heard across the capital and go well into the night.
