The Fijian Drua are warning the NSW Waratahs they may be fatigued but still hungry for an elusive victory when they finally arrive for Friday night's Super Rugby Pacific "Culture Week" showdown in Sydney. A touch deflated after letting late leads slip in both their opening two matches against the high-flying Hurricanes and Brumbies, the Drua's disappointments have been compounded by an exhausting travel schedule. The side's troubles began before even making it to Napier from Nadi, via Wellington, for last Saturday's heartbreaking 38-34 loss to the Hurricanes.
"We knew right from the beginning it was going to be a pretty interesting trip," Drua coach Glen Jackson said on Tuesday. "I don't think we got all the favours landing in Wellington. We didn't have a bus ready, unfortunately, and then even when we got to the hotel in Napier, we didn't have a room ready.
"So there were plenty of things that went against us. Our preparation, that was not even our issue, but I know the players actually just got on with it. "They were ready for the game and it showed in the scoreboard.
We played some really good rugby, scored some beautiful tries and we bombed a couple of tries too, unfortunately." While the Drua have still taken great confidence out of the two near misses, Jackson knows beating the Waratahs to keep in touch with the competition leaders is vital. "We've picked up two points out of the game, so it's half a win, and we've just got to understand that this is a massively differe.