Crusaders vs Drua

Boiling hot conditions in Lautoka hosted round three's Super Rugby Pacific matchup between the Crusaders and the Fijian Drua.

Attacked the Fijian line with perhaps the most enthusiasm of any Crusaders player and proved his physicality was up to the test. Struggled to influence the game and looked rushed in his distributions throughout. Found himself as the last line of defence down the left wing and dropped the tackle on a rampaging Joseva Tamani. Reece clearly loves this matchup and didn’t hesitate to challenge his opposite Eroni “the sledgehammer” Sau in contact. Labelled his milestone performance “bittersweet” in the post-match interview but was proud of his accomplishment and gracious towards the Fijian side and their fans. Claimed the lineout ball well and had some nice carries but struggled to get his troops aligned and play the usual Crusaders brand of footy. Gave away a blatant penalty in the third minute and was very lucky that Fiji botched the kick from right out front. A Crusaders infringement in extra time gifted the Drua a penalty in front of the sticks and debutant Kemu Valetini stepped up and produced a historic moment for the home side. [Roger Tuivasa-Sheck](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/roger-tuivasa-sheck/) with a lively sidestep that got him over the line in the 18th minute, unfortunately for Sammy, he wasn’t able to ground it cleanly. A knock-on in the 33rd minute spoiled a scoring opportunity. The Drua embraced the occasion in the second half and gave their fans plenty to cheer about, playing some superb rugby in broken play. The heat had a strong influence on the game with handling errors aplenty, mainly for the visiting Crusaders.