The Swire Shipping Fijian Drua pulled off a historic victory at Churchill Park in Lautoka, defeating Super Rugby Pacific table-toppers, the Chiefs, scoring 28-24 on Saturday. The win marks Drua’s first home victory after three consecutive losses this season. The first half was marked by several turnovers and penalties as both sides struggled to gain momentum, with the Chiefs initially dominating possession. In the 47th minute, the Chiefs managed to score the first try of the match when player Anton Lienert-Brown gathered a clever kick and slid over the tryline. However, Josh Jacomb’s missed conversion was a costly one for the Chiefs Despite the wet ground, the Drua responded just minutes later, with a powerful try from Meli Derenalagi in the 43rd minute, a result of some clinical teamwork from the Fijian side. Meanwhile, Drua’s star flyoff, Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula’s successful conversion gave the Drua the lead. In the 59th minute, Vuate Karawalevu extended the lead with another try after a series of successful lineouts and scrums, with Armstrong-Ravula again making no mistakes with the conversion, bringing the score to 17-13 in favour of the Drua. Despite the Chiefs pressing late in the game, the Drua’s defence remained firm. In the 78th minute, Armstrong-Ravula kicked a penalty to make the score 28-17, giving the Drua a comfortable cushion. However, the Hamilton side were not to be outdone and mounted one last attack in the final minute. Tupou Vaa’i’s try and Jacomb’s conversion secured a bonus point for the Chiefs, but it was too little, too late, as the Drua held on for a memorable 28-24 victory. Speaking after the game, Drua co-captain Frank Lomani acknowledged that the team had been aiming for victory in their previous three matches but fell short. “It’s special to this group because three weeks ago we could have won three games, we built this momentum starting from the first game against the Brumbies and we never got the win in the last three games and I think it’s about time, we owe our fans,” Lomani said. “Our supporters turned up today and we came to get the job done.” With seven consecutive wins at Churchill Park now, the Drua will take this momentum into their next games as they look to build on this historic victory. The Fijian Drua will now take on the Brumbies on 14th March at the Gio stadium in Canberra, kicking off at 8:35pm (FJT).