A Len Ikitau hat-trick propelled the ACT Brumbies to a hard-fought 38-21 victory over a resilient Fijian Drua outfit at GIO Stadium on Friday night, ensuring the hosts maintained their perfect record against the Pacific Islanders in Super Rugby Pacific.
Key moments:
19′ – Ikitau crashes through three defenders for first try (7-0)
22′ – Lonergan sneaks over from close range (14-0)
26′ – Canakaivata responds for Drua after Loganimasi break (14-7)
33′ – Muirhead strolls over after Wright dummy (28-7 HT)
42′ – Murray scores for Drua after brilliant counterattack (28-14)
49′ – Ikanivere pounces on clever Armstrong-Ravula chip (28-21)
51′ – Wright’s dazzling run sets up Ikitau’s hat-trick (33-21)
56′ – Ikanivere’s second try disallowed after TMO review
78′ – Murray yellow carded for high shot on Goddard
79′ – Reimer scores bonus-point try after turnover (38-21)
After their historic victory over the reigning champion Blues in Auckland last weekend, the Brumbies produced another clinical performance to secure five competition points, though they were made to work considerably harder than the final scoreline suggests.
The Brumbies dominated the opening exchanges without reward as the visitors defended gallantly for nearly 20 minutes before Ikitau – who hadn’t scored a try since May last year – finally broke through with a powerful finish after excellent approach work from Charlie Cale.
Ryan Lonergan extended the lead shortly afterwards, sniping over from close range following strong carries from both Ikitau and Tom Hooper, as the Brumbies threatened to run away with the contest.
The Drua, fresh from their maiden victory over the Chiefs last week, showed their dangerous counterattacking ability when electric winger Ponipate Loganimasi scythed through the Brumbies defence before earning a penalty against Tom Wright. From the resulting quick tap, Elia Canakaivata powered over to reduce the deficit.
However, the Brumbies quickly reasserted control with two tries in four minutes before half-time. Ikitau grabbed his second with another close-range effort before Wright – making amends for his earlier error – carved through the Drua defence with a sublime dummy before sending Andy Muirhead away for an untouched finish.
Leading 28-7 at the interval, the Brumbies appeared to be cruising. But the Drua burst out of the blocks after the restart, scoring twice in quick succession to transform the contest.
First, Motikiai Murray finished off a sweeping move that featured brilliant interplay between Isikeli Rabitu, Iosefo Masi and Loganimasi. Then, “Tex” Ikanivere capitalised on a perfectly weighted chip kick from Isaac Armstrong-Ravula that bounced wickedly past Wright to suddenly close the gap to 28-21.
With momentum swinging dramatically towards the visitors, it took a moment of brilliance from Wright to settle home nerves. The Wallabies fullback sliced through the Drua defence down the left flank before launching a cross-field “Hail Mary” pass to Muirhead, who drew the final defender and sent Ikitau over for his hat-trick.
“In attack he’s very good close to the line, defensively he’s outstanding. As a 13, I think he’s the best in the world,” Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham said of Ikitau post-match.
A pivotal moment came in the 56th minute when Ikanivere appeared to have scored his second try from a rolling maul, only for TMO James Leckie to spot a knock-on in-goal. The decision maintained the Brumbies’ 12-point buffer, which proved decisive as a war of attrition ensued for the next 20 minutes.
Despite the Drua’s best efforts to breach the Brumbies’ defence again, it was Luke Reimer who had the final say. After producing a crucial turnover on his own try-line with five minutes remaining, the Wallabies fetcher capped an impressive cameo by scoring the bonus-point try in the dying moments following a yellow card to Murray for a high shot on Harrison Goddard
“I thought we started pretty well in the first half, and then Fijian Drua capitalised on our mistakes,” Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa told Stan Sport. “We probably got a bit loose there at the start of the second half and they came in with two early tries, but I was really proud of the effort there, and getting that bonus point was massive.”
“We spoke at halftime that we need to be disciplined and keep the ball in hand and just play the way we play,” lamented Drua captain Frank Lomani. “We found momentum going into the second half but we just couldn’t finish it.”
The victory consolidates the Brumbies’ position near the top of the table, while the Drua’s winless streak away from home extends to 18 matches, dating back to Round 1, 2023.
The Brumbies will now turn their attention to next weekend’s Australian derby against the unbeaten Waratahs in Sydney, while the Drua return home to face the Brumbies’ arch-rivals, the Reds.
