Make Drua debut Fijian trio set to face fellow countrymen
Perofeta eyes prize, jersey
n SUPER RUGBY
Super Draws
SEVU Reece, George Bower and Chay Fihaki will start for Crusaders as they face the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua side in the round three of the Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific clash at Churchill Park in Lautoka tomorrow.
Former Queen Victoria School student Reece, who scored in the Crusaders 52-15 win over the Highlanders last week, has been named on the right wing.
Bower, from Vagadaci Village in Levuka, Ovalau, will start this week after coming off the bench last week.
Chay Fihaki has been named at fullback, replacing Fergus Burke.
Crusaders assistant coach Scott Hansen said while they were excited about “an awesome opportunity to play the Fijian Drua here at home”, they were also wary of their attacking prowess.
“(The Fijian Drua) have a real skill set, they’ve got a true belief in open running rugby, and they’ll make some decisions from areas of the field that possibly other teams wouldn’t around their attack,” he told the club’s media.
“Some boys will be making their debut, and others will be playing their first game for the Crusaders for awhile. We’re excited for all those boys and their families,” Hansen said.
While the one-hour time difference is unlikely to impact preparation, temperature and humidity have been taken into account by the Crusaders. Hansen said a number of the boys had played in Fiji before, and “there’s been a lot of experience shared”.
The hosts side will also be looking better at their performance after a 61-3 drubbing at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand last year. Tomorrow’s match kicks off at 3.35pm.
Crusaders (1-15): George Bower, Quentin MacDonald, Tamaiti Williams, Scott Barrett, Sam Whitelock, Sione Havili Talitui, Tom Christie, Christian Lio-Willie, Willi Heinz, Fergus Burke, Macca Springer, David Havili, Braydon Ennor, Sevu Reece, Chay Fihaki
Reserves (16-23): Ioane Moananu, Kershawl Sykes-Martin, Seb Calder, Zach Gallagher, Corey Kellow, Noah Hotham, Taha Kemara, Dallas McLeod.
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STEPHEN Perofeta admits it’s hard not to think about 2024.
Don’t get the Blues playmaker wrong, he has this year’s Super Rugby competition at the forefront of his mind.
But, with Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett set to leave New Zealand after the World Cup, Perofeta could be forgiven for envisioning himself becoming the starting All Blacks first-five next year.
“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about that.
“It will definitely be an opportunity when that time comes around. But, I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself right now, worrying about what could happen in the future.
It’s only human to think of what might be and Perofeta is determined not to let anything distract him from the task at hand, winning a Super Rugby title with the Blues.
“That’s goal.
“The work I’m doing with the our mental skills coach around strategies and ways I can have a fresh mindset each week where I’m focusing on the present and how I can make each day count.
“I believe having a focus on now and where I’m at with the Blues is going to help me achieve in the future.
“There’s a good group of us that have been here for about four or five years. But, just as important and just as key is our depth.
“Our younger players our younger group who are coming up.
“It’s up to us to help them be on the cohesion level that we want because today’s game now, you rely on your 23.
“You want your 23 getting tested by your own team’s non players every week and that’s what produces that winning performance on the weekend, it’s a whole squad effort.
He’s also keen to extract all the information he can from Barrett before the World Cup winner leaves Aotearoa. definitely the
(The Fijian Drua) have a real skill set, they’ve got a true belief in open running rugby, and they’ll make some decisions from areas of the field that possibly other teams wouldn’t around their attack
Scott Hansen