Fijian Drua Captain Tevita Ikanivere says he is super proud of his team’s performance in edging the Crusaders 25-24 to snatch their first home win in Super Rugby Pacific yesterday.
Despite a tough first half, Ikanivere said the Swire Shipping Drua players made a strong comeback in the match.
“Very very happy to get the win, especially the way we did. I think we were a bit slack towards the end of the game but I thank the boys for getting up again and getting the winning kick from Kemu today so very thankful to the boys for working hard through the week. We believed in ourselves, saying we could beat the Crusaders and we did here today at home.
“We were in the game from the beginning, we had the first opportunity to score but didn’t score, and we missed the goal kick but we kept going. At the end of the first half, we didn’t have the energy we had last week. Guess the Waratahs, before the end of the first half, but when he came on to the second half, the boys were up and firing to try and win the game and I think from there, we were at the front foot.
The Hooker also said getting the first home win in the Shop N Save season would not have been possible without the huge support from the fans, who lifted the team spirit till the dying moments of the match.
“Samu and Tuqiri really did a good job when they came to square them up and boosted and I think once you got scrum right, Joseva scored. Once you’ve got that set baseline, everything just starts to look good.”
“It’s just an epic feeling like when you are attacking, we could feel them with the cheers and when we were defending when kicking the goals and we could hear the crow. It feels so good playing at home. The full crowd like that and the noise they bring just add energy to the boys and I think they pushed us through this game today.”
“I want to thank you all for coming and supporting the boys. It means a lot to us that people came out in numbers to show their love and support for the Drua team. Your cheers really motivated the players to play till the last minute and get the win. So this win is for all our fans and families who came to support the boys.”
