Highlanders secure 43-20 victory over Fijian Drua in Dunedin

The Highlanders produced a much-needed performance in Dunedin to overpower Fijian Drua 43-20 in Round Nine of the Super Rugby Pacific season.

The home side brought energy, structure, and attacking precision to the turf of Forsyth Barr Stadium, halting a four-match losing streak and climbing into the top eight of the standings.

The match couldn’t have started better for the Highlanders. Within just two minutes, debutant winger Taniela Filimone announced himself in style by finishing off a broken play to give the home side an early lead. Ten minutes later, he was at it again—this time showing blistering pace to score his second and stretch the lead to 10-0.

While the Drua tried to respond, they struggled to break through a disciplined Highlanders defense. Filimone, adding to his highlight reel, made a crucial defensive stop to halt a potential Drua try in the 32nd minute.

Then, just before halftime, center Thomas Umaga-Jensen muscled his way over to extend the Highlanders’ advantage to 17-0 at the break.

The Drua burst out of the sheds with renewed purpose. A swift move in the 43rd minute saw Isikeli Rabitu finish off a clinical attacking phase to finally put the visitors on the scoreboard.

But the Highlanders quickly retaliated as Viveni Lasaqa crossed over five minutes later to keep the margin comfortable at 22-7.

A spirited push from the Drua followed, with Simione Kuruvoli and Ponipate Longanimasi both finding the try line in the space of five minutes, reducing the gap to just 22-19 and threatening a dramatic comeback.

However, a crucial turnover shifted the momentum again. Kuruvoli was yellow-carded shortly after, and the Highlanders capitalized almost immediately with Jack Taylor scoring his first Super Rugby try to make it 29-19.

In the closing stages, Tanielu Tele’a and Sam Gilbert added two more tries, both converted by Cameron Millar, to put the result beyond doubt.