Fijiana Drua handed the NSW Waratahs their first ever Super W loss and continued their dream debut season on the Gold Coast on Friday night.
The Drua – Fiji’s national women’s team in disguise – prevailed 29-10 and played some dazzling rugby in the highly anticipated clash between the competition’s unbeaten sides.
The Waratahs had not lost a Super W match since its inception in 2018 before that 21 game streak was busted in emphatic fashion.
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“Really pleased for the girls with the performance,” Drua captain Bitila Tawaki said.
“Thanks to the Waratahs for giving us such a good game. It wasn’t an easy game.”
The Drua blew NSW away with three tries in the first 18 minutes at Cbus Super Stadium to outside backs Vitalina Naikore, Kolora Lomani and Timaima Ravisa.
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That gave the Fijians a 17-0 lead and while the Waratahs rallied they never really looked like completing a miracle comeback.
Victory all but confirmed the Drua’s berth in the final and NSW remain likely to be their opponents.
“It was a really tough today,” Waratahs captain Grace Hamilton said.
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“We tried offloads, which is not our game. We’ve just got to play the platform.
“We just let them into the game and they capitalised on our mistakes.
“And credit to them, they’re good at it. They make points off every turnover.”
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