The Swire Shipping Fijian Drua team dedicated their hard-fought 41-17 victory against the Queensland Reds to their coach Mick Byrne, who lost his father on Friday.
Skipper Meli Derenalagi said it was an important win for the Drua family to put a smile on their coach’s face in Round 15 of the Super Rugby Pacific on Saturday.
“Not forgetting our coach, Coach Mick; he’s going through a hard obstacle in his life, the passing away of his father.”
“The game we played today, we dedicate to him, to touch his heart and give him some happiness.”
Byrne added that he is thankful to the Drua family that allowed him to spend some precious time with his late father.
“When you have a program that’s built around faith and family, you certainly realise what it means to people when something happens to you.”
“My family’s been awesome; Dad was a great mentor and I’m really pleased we were able to put on a performance after the week we had.”
“It’s a pretty special moment. We’ve come from a long way back. It’s a great night for us.”
Drua will face 11-time champions Crusaders in the quarterfinal on Saturday.
