The ACT Brumbies fought back from a 22–7 half-time deficit and pushed their comeback right to the final moments, before ultimately falling 28–33 to the Fijian Drua at GIO Stadium on Saturday night.
After the disappointment of their last meeting with the Drua in Fiji, the Brumbies entered the match determined to settle the score. The Canberra side welcomed back enigmatic fullback Tom Wright from an ACL injury, but it was his outside back partners, Ollie Sapsford and Corey Toole, who proved the Brumbies’ main attacking threats.
The Brumbies burst out of the gates, reclaiming the ball from their own kick-off and pinning the Drua on their try line. Ollie Sapsford came inches from scoring in the corner, but the pressure eventually told, with Nick Frost cleaning up a loose lineout ball and crashing over in the 13th minute. Ryan Lonergan added the extras for a 7–0 lead.
The Drua responded swiftly, swinging the ball from edge to edge before Manasa Mataele finished in the corner. The missed conversion kept the Brumbies ahead 7–5 after 15 minutes.
Wright’s sharp footwork drew cheers from the home crowd, but discipline issues crept in. Penalties inside the Brumbies’ own half gifted the Drua territory, and although a knock-on denied them one try, a collapsed Brumbies scrum handed them three points. Moments later, Drua winger Manasa Mataele pounced on a loose ball and sprinted 60 metres for his second. With the conversion, the Drua moved ahead 15–7.
Isaia Armstrong-Ravula added a penalty before former Brumby Issak Fines-Leleiwasa tapped quickly to score, sending the visitors into half-time with a commanding 22–7 lead.
Despite the margin, the Brumbies came out of the sheds eager to play. Sapsford powered over for his second try after a slick cut pass from Wright sent the winger charging down the flank. Lonergan’s conversion cut the gap before another Drua penalty pushed the score to 25–14.
The match continued to swing as the Drua kicked wide for Simione Kuruvoli to score, though the conversion was unsuccessful. The Brumbies struck back when Wright put replacement Tane Edmed over in the corner, with Lonergan maintaining his perfect night from the tee.
The crowd lifted as the Brumbies closed the gap to 21–30 with 15 minutes remaining. The loudest roar of the night came when Corey Toole sliced through untouched to score under the posts, bringing the margin to just two points at 28–30.
But discipline again proved costly, with an offside penalty allowing the Drua to extend their lead.
With a lineout five metres out in the dying moments, the Brumbies had one final chance. But as the maul collapsed, the final whistle blew, ending the contest 28–33 in favour of the Drua.
The Brumbies now shift their focus to a Super Round clash against the Hurricanes in Auckland on ANZAC weekend.
