Kemu Valetini, Fijian Drua look to prove they belong in Super Rugby

MELBOURNE : Having watched his younger brother Rob make his mark at the ACT Brumbies and Wallabies, late blooming flyhalf Kemu Valetini hopes to help Fijian Drua book their first appearance in the Super Rugby Pacific finals in their second season.

Both Valetini and the Drua are on a mission to prove they belong in a competition that until last year was a closed shop for Pasifika teams.

Though 10th of 12 teams, the Drua can still snatch a quarter-final spot thanks to a generous format which allows the top eight sides to battle in the post-season.

That will require beating the seventh-placed Queensland Reds in Suva on Saturday and hoping the Otago Highlanders and Western Force lose their matches in the final regular season round.

Having won all but one of their matches in Fiji this season, the Mick Byrne-coached Drua will be at least confident of fulfilling their end of the bargain.

"The boys are really excited about the challenge this week," Valetini told Reuters from Nadi, Fiji.

"It's not going to be an easy task against the Reds. We'll have our work cut out for us but if results go our way, we'll be stoked to be in the finals hopefully at the end of this weekend."

At 28 and after plenty of career setbacks, Valetini is thrilled just to have a spot on the bench for the Super Rugby team representing the island nation and his parents' birthplace.

Born in Melbourne, he arrived in Fiji late last year with low expectations and only a training contract for the Drua after a strong season for Manly Marlins in the Shute Shield, New South Wales's premier state competition.

Despite his heritage, adjusting to the tropical conditions and the slow pace of Fijian life was a challenge for a big city boy more used to chilly winters in southern