Drua on home stretch to finals.

It was a weekend of close calls on the international rugby scene with the Fiji Airways Drua, the All Black and the Wallabies all stealing victories in heart stopping matches.

Whilst the stakes weren’t so high for the New Zealand and Australian teams, a loss for the Fijian outfit could have had disastrous ramifications on what has been a sensational National Rugby Championship campaign to date.

Head Coach Senirusi Seruvakula has had time to process his side’s performance on Saturday and is looking for a more intelligent and consistent effort from the players when they face the Force this Saturday.

“We have to play smarter and continue to recognise when to control the tempo of these matches” he said.

“On the weekend the Vikings were doing that, they were playing smart, in the heat, they were controlling us, and we need to do that better ourselves.”

The Drua face another must win encounter this Saturday against the Western Force if they are to keep their top place on the competition ladder and a home semi final.

“This game is a huge challenge for us and we really want the win.” said Seruvakula.

“Western Force are a strong team, they’ve experienced the World Series and have gelled well together as a team.”

With a long haul flight to Perth and a four hour time difference to contend with, Seruvakula’s support staff have their work cut out to ensure the players are ready to performance come Saturday.

“We know we’ve got a short turn around and the travel ahead of us, and we’ll support the boys well, prepare them well, keep our focus on the task at hand and make sure we’re ready.”

“It’s first v second, I am confident our boys will rise to the occasion and play from their heart; they know they need to put in a big performance, it’s like the start of our finals.”

The Fiji Airways Drua meet Western Force this Saturday 13th October at University of WA Sports Park in Perth at 6pm FJT.