The Rooster Chicken Fijiana Drua Women fell short in a thrilling comeback attempt, going down 22-19 to the Queensland Reds Women in a hard-fought Super Rugby Women’s clash at Churchill Park in Lautoka on Saturday. The Reds took full advantage of the Drua’s handling errors in the first half, racing to a 17-0 lead by halftime. Captain Gemma Bedrose opened the scoring in the fourth minute after a Drua mistake, and Carola Kreis added another try shortly after. A penalty kick from Lori Gramer at the stroke of halftime put the visitors firmly in control. The Reds extended their lead early in the second half with another try, making it 22-0. However, the Drua refused to fold, launching a late comeback with replacement hooker Loraini Senivutu finally putting the hosts on the board in the 67th minute. Karalaini Naisewa powered over minutes later, with the successful conversion, narrowing the gap to 12-22. With momentum shifting, the Reds were reduced to 14 players in the 77th minute for a deliberate knock-on, and the Drua capitalised with a penalty try after the Reds collapsed a maul, bringing them within three points at 19-22. Despite a late push, the Fijianas ran out of time, unable to break out of their own half before the final whistle. The Reds held on for a hard-fought victory, handing the Drua their first home loss of the season. The Fijiana Drua women will be looking to bounce back next Saturday when they take on the ACT Brumbies Women at Churchill Park in Lautoka at 3:35pm (FJT).