Winger Mark Nawaqanitawase will be playing his milestone 50th match for the Waratahs when they face the Fijian Drua in Lautoka tomorrow.
The youngster with Fijian heritage made his debut for the club three years ago and announced his arrival with a try-scoring double against the mighty Crusaders.
And the Wallabies star isn’t expecting any favours from the Drua, who are as desperate as the Tahs to post a much-needed victory.
Both sides enter the match with a one-from-four record this campaign and struggling to stay in touch with the competition pacesetters, with the Waratahs ninth and Drua 10th on the 12-team ladder.
The Waratahs boast a 4-0 winning record over the Mick Byrne coached side, but have never played the Fijians on their home soil.
Intriguingly, both sides’ only wins this season have come against the defending champions, the Crusaders.
Asked what will make the Drua so dangerous on home soil, Nawaqanitawase shrugged: “They’re Fiji.
“They obviously love the game over there. It’s the No.1 sport and every team the Drua runs out you can see on the TV how packed it is and the fans go crazy.
“The players use that energy on the field, and I’m sure it’s going to be a big crowd out there.
“We’ll have a tough day, but I’m sure our boys are ready for it.”
“I think the whole village is trying to get out there, which would be pretty cool,” said Nawaqanitawase.
“It’s just hard to find some tickets because they’ve already sold out the whole thing.
“So it’s been pretty special. It’s very special to have a Fijian side in Super Rugby Pacific, and for a lot of the boys who have Fijian heritage, it’s pretty cool to be able to go back to where the families are from and play in front of them.
“It’s very exciting for all of us,” he added.
The Drua vs Waratahs match kicks off at 1.05pm at Churchill Park.
