Drua stun Brumbies 33-28 in Canberra

Brumbies 28-33 Fijian Drua, Canberra

Fijian Drua pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the Super Rugby Pacific season with a 33-28 win over the ACT Brumbies in Canberra, spoiling Tom Wright’s return from injury in the process.

The visitors arrived with a poor away record and little outside expectation, but they played with power, pace and composure to build a first-half lead and then hold off a strong Brumbies fightback.

The result was a major statement from the Drua, who handled the pressure of the occasion and delivered one of the club’s most memorable road victories.

Drua Build Strong First-Half Lead

The opening period was filled with drama and TMO interventions. The Brumbies had one try ruled out, one allowed, and the Drua also saw a score wiped off during a frantic opening spell.

Once the game settled, it was the Drua who took control. Winger Manasa Mataele was central to that surge, scoring twice in the first half as the visitors took advantage of the Brumbies’ defensive lapses and mistakes in key moments. Nick Frost scored the sole try for the hosts in the opening half.

By halftime, the Drua had opened up a 22-7 lead after the touchdown from Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, leaving the home side with plenty of work to do in the second half.

Wright Sparks Brumbies Response

Tom Wright, playing his first game since tearing his ACL while on Wallabies duty last year, looked lively on his return and quickly became a major attacking threat for the Brumbies.

He helped create Ollie Sapsford’s try early in the second half with a long cut-out pass that cut through the Drua defence and brought the hosts back into the contest.

The Brumbies then had a golden chance to get even closer when Sapsford sent a pop-up pass toward Declan Meredith near the try line, but the opportunity was lost when the ball was fumbled.

That mistake proved hugely costly, because the Drua struck almost immediately afterwards. Simione Kuruvoli latched onto a cross-kick from Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula to score and stretch the visitors’ lead again.

Controversy And Late Tension

The match then swung through a controversial moment when Drua fullback Isikeli Rabitu was shown a yellow card after a head clash with Sapsford.

The Brumbies capitalised through Tane Edmed, who scored after another key assist from Wright, before Corey Toole crossed in the 70th minute to cut the margin to just two points.

That set up a tense finish, but the Drua defended with real determination. Even after the siren, they held out the Brumbies’ final attacking effort to seal a famous victory.