Suva [Fiji], March 1: The Swire Shipping Fijian Drua produced a stirring second-half fightback to defeat the Hurricanes 25-20 in a dramatic Super Rugby Pacific clash in Lautoka.
It was the Drua's first win in the 2026 Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific, and it was a special one, especially after the Hurricanes thumped Moana Pasifika last week.
The Hurricanes held a slender 17-13 lead at halftime after a physical opening spell.
The Drua struck first through an Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula penalty before the visitors responded with tries to Fehi Fineanganofo and Peter Lakai, the latter burrowing over from a dominant maul.
Motikiai Murray powered over under the posts to level the scores, but a costly penalty from the restart allowed the Hurricanes to hit back immediately, with Jordie Barrett sending Billy Proctor over.
A late Armstrong-Ravula penalty kept the Drua within four at the break.
Fiji started the second half with intent, but early errors stalled momentum.
Barrett extended the Hurricanes' lead to 20-13 with a long-range penalty after Droasese was penalised for a tackle in the air.
What followed was a momentum swing that lifted Churchill Park.
Tuidraki Samusamuvodre pounced on a loose pass to intercept and sprint 30 metres untouched under the posts, with Armstrong-Ravula converting to level the scores at 20-all.
The contest tightened into a territorial battle in wet conditions, with both sides trading kicks and handling errors under pressure.
The breakthrough came in the 67th minute when the Drua struck from a turnover ball.
Quick hands released Ravai, who produced a superb offload to Etonia Waqa, the winger racing 20 metres down the left touchline to put the hosts in front 25-20.
The conversion drifted wide, setting up a tense finale.
The Hurricanes pushed hard in the closing stages, earning field position and penalties deep in Drua territory, but Fiji's defence held firm.
A late scrum reset chewed up valuable seconds, and despite one final turnover after the siren, the Hurricanes could not capitalise.
In front of a passionate home crowd, the Drua weathered the storm and showed resilience to overturn a halftime deficit and secure a memorable 25-20 victory.
The Drua are on a bye next week before hosting the Brumbies in Ba in a fortnight.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
