Isikeli Rabitu scored twice and Elia Canakaivata marked his 50th cap with a decisive try as the Fijian Drua recorded their first ever victory over the Highlanders, winning 24–14 in sweltering conditions at Four R Stadium to leave the visitors’ season hanging by a thread.
Key moments
10′ – TRY DRUA: Tuidraki Samusamuvodre intercepted in midfield inside his own 22 and charged past halfway before being hauled down by Jona Nareki. The Drua recycled quickly and moved it left, with Virimi Vakatawa bursting through for his maiden try in Drua colours. Armstrong-Ravula converted. (Drua 7–0 Highlanders)
14′ – TRY HIGHLANDERS: Oliver Haig claimed at the lineout front and Timoci Tavatavanawai offloaded to Cameron Millar, who found Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens. The fullback drew his man and fired it to Jonah Lowe for a superb diving finish in the corner. Millar converted from the sideline. (Drua 7–7 Highlanders)
25′ – TRY DRUA: Haereiti Hetet carried over halfway before the Drua swung it right. Rabitu stepped inside Folau Fakatava and bounced off Nareki’s tackle attempt, sprinting clear to dive over in the corner. Armstrong-Ravula’s conversion hit the right post. (Drua 12–7 Highlanders)
38′ – TRY HIGHLANDERS: After Fakatava’s kick pinned the Drua deep, the Highlanders drove a powerful rolling maul from a lineout five metres out. Veveni Lasaqa emerged with the ball at the back. Millar converted. (Drua 12–14 Highlanders)
Half-time: Drua 12–14 Highlanders. An electric, chaotic half in hot and humid conditions. The Drua struck first through Samusamuvodre’s intercept but the Highlanders showed resilience, finishing the half with momentum after Lasaqa’s maul try.
43′ – TRY DRUA: Off a lineout the Drua swung it right, where Frank Lomani put Rabitu into acres of space. The fullback sprinted over for his second. Armstrong-Ravula’s conversion drifted left. (Drua 17–14 Highlanders)
48′ – TRY DRUA: The Drua turned it over at the ruck. Temo Mayanavanua burst towards the 22 before Hetet was stopped inches short. Canakaivata picked left and squeezed over on his 50th cap. Armstrong-Ravula converted. (Drua 24–14 Highlanders)
62′ – YELLOW CARD: Rabitu was shown a yellow card for cynically playing the ball on the ground near his own line.
Full-time: Drua 24–14 Highlanders
Match report
The scoreboard told only half the story in Ba on Saturday afternoon. The Highlanders had the territory, the set-piece dominance and enough chances inside the Drua 22 to have won this match twice over. Instead, they left Fiji with nothing — not even a losing bonus point — after an afternoon defined by handling errors, missed opportunities and a chronic inability to finish their work near the tryline.
The Drua, by contrast, took their chances ruthlessly when they came. Rabitu was electric whenever the ball reached his hands, scoring twice through a combination of footwork, power and raw pace that the Highlanders simply could not contain. His first-half effort was the try of the match — stepping inside Fakatava and bouncing off Nareki before sprinting away from the cover defence to dive over in the corner. His second, early in the second half off a Lomani pass that put him into space on the right edge, confirmed his status as one of the most dangerous finishers in the competition when given room to move.
It was a fitting afternoon for Canakaivata, who became just the fourth Drua player to reach 50 caps. The number eight’s try in the 48th minute, picking from close range and squeezing over under the posts after Hetet had been stopped inches short, extended the lead to 10 and proved the decisive blow. The Drua’s work at the breakdown was ferocious throughout — they won 14 turnovers across the 80 minutes, with Canakaivata claiming four and blindside flanker Kitione Salawa three — while the Highlanders coughed the ball up 28 times.
The match had burst into life from the opening whistle. Tavatavanawai and Lowe nearly combined for the opening try inside 20 seconds, and the Highlanders dominated the opening 10 minutes, spending most of it camped inside the Drua 22 without reward. Samusamuvodre’s intercept changed the complexion of the contest, picking off a sluggish pass inside his own 22 and charging downfield before Nareki hauled him down. The Drua moved the ball quickly through Lomani’s hands for Vakatawa to cross for his first try in Drua colours.
Lowe’s diving finish in the corner four minutes later was a reminder of the Highlanders’ quality when they got the ball to the edge, with Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens drawing his man and delivering a perfectly timed pass. But that clinical edge deserted them for much of the afternoon. Two missed conversions from Armstrong-Ravula kept the Highlanders within striking distance despite trailing for most of the first half, and Lasaqa’s maul try on the stroke of half-time gave the visitors a 14–12 lead at the break and all the momentum. It was the last time they scored.
Two tries in five minutes after the restart swung the match decisively in the Drua’s favour, and the final 30 minutes became an exercise in mounting frustration for Jamie Joseph’s side. Lasaqa came agonisingly close to an extraordinary intercept try from the base of a Drua five-metre scrum, getting his hands to the ball but knocking on as he tried to re-gather in the in-goal. Replacement hooker Soane Vikena swooped on an overthrown lineout five metres out and dived for the line, only for a clutch Drua tackle to dislodge the ball from his grasp. Two rolling mauls were driven towards the tryline but neither could be finished.
Even when Rabitu was yellow-carded in the 62nd minute for cynically playing the ball on the ground, the Drua somehow held firm during the sin-bin period. Their scramble defence under pressure was outstanding, and the Highlanders’ inability to capitalise summed up their afternoon. As co-captain Tavatavanawai reflected afterwards, the recurring theme was all too familiar — the Highlanders were doing the hard yards to get into scoring position but letting themselves down with their error rate when it mattered most.
The result is the Drua’s first victory over the Highlanders in five meetings and maintains their perfect record at Four R Stadium, having opened the ground with a win over the Brumbies earlier in the season. They move to 20 competition points, level with the Highlanders and Waratahs, but three behind the sixth-placed Reds, who have a game in hand. The Drua head into the bye week with their finals push very much alive.
For the Highlanders, the maths is now brutal. They drop to a 4–7 record with just three matches remaining: a home fixture against the Waratahs next weekend followed by away trips to the Chiefs and Hurricanes. A bye in the final round means they cannot afford another defeat, and the quality of opposition awaiting them makes their task look close to insurmountable.
Match details
Fijian Drua 24 (Tries: Vakatawa 10′, Rabitu 25′ 43′, Canakaivata 48′; Conversions: Armstrong-Ravula 2/4)
Highlanders 14 (Tries: Lowe 14′, Lasaqa 38′; Conversions: Millar 2/2)
Half-time: 12–14
Venue: Four R Stadium, Ba, Fiji
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Angus Mabey, Mike Winter
TMO: Aaron Paterson
Teams
Fijian Drua: 15 Isikeli Rabitu, 14 Frank Lomani (co-c), 13 Tuidraki Samusamuvodre, 12 Virimi Vakatawa, 11 Joji Nasova, 10 Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula, 9 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 8 Elia Canakaivata, 7 Kitione Salawa, 6 Joseva Tamani, 5 Temo Mayanavanua (co-c), 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Mesake Doge, 2 Zuriel Togiatama, 1 Haereiti Hetet.
Replacements: 16 Kavaia Tagivetaua, 17 Emosi Tuqiri, 18 Peni Ravai, 19 Mesake Vocevoce, 20 Isoa Tuwai, 21 Philip Baselala, 22 Kemu Valetini, 23 Maika Tuitubou.
Highlanders: 15 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, 14 Jonah Lowe, 13 Tanielu Tele’a, 12 Timoci Tavatavanawai (co-c), 11 Jona Nareki, 10 Cameron Millar, 9 Folau Fakatava, 8 Nikora Broughton, 7 Veveni Lasaqa, 6 Te Kamaka Howden, 5 Mitch Dunshea, 4 Oliver Haig, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Jack Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot (co-c).
Replacements: 16 Soane Vikena, 17 Daniel Lienert-Brown, 18 Saula Ma’u, 19 Sean Withy, 20 Lucas Casey, 21 Adam Lennox, 22 Taine Robinson, 23 Xavier Tito-Harris.
What’s next
The Fijian Drua head into the bye round before their final push for the playoffs. The Highlanders return home to Dunedin to face the Waratahs in what shapes as a must-win fixture next weekend.
International2 weeks ago
International6 days ago
International2 weeks ago
International3 weeks ago
International3 weeks ago
International4 days ago
International2 weeks ago