Waratahs rain on Fijian Drua's Super Rugby debut

MELBOURNE : The New South Wales Waratahs gave Fijian Drua a torrid debut in Super Rugby Pacific and claimed their first win in 18 months with a 40-10 thrashing in Sydney on Friday.

Drua, one of two Pasifika expansion sides joining Australia and New Zealand teams in the 12-team competition, came into the match with great expectations after upsetting the Melbourne Rebels in a trial match.

However, they were quickly dismantled by a disciplined Waratahs side at Western Sydney Stadium, conceding five tries to one in a deflating display for Fijians in the crowd.

Will Harris, David Porecki, Lalakai Foketi, Angus Bell and Jake Gordon scored the tries for the Waratahs, with Ben Donaldson slotting three penalties and racking up 15 points off the tee.

Baden Kerr scored Drua's first points in the competition with a first half penalty but the Fijian side had to wait more than an hour for their opening try before Nemani Nagusa barged over from a few metres short of the line.

"It's been a long time since we put in a performance like that," said Waratahs captain Jake Gordon.

"It's been a long pre-season and it's good to see the guys reflect that in their hard work and put in a good performance like that against a challenging Fiji team."

The heavy defeat underlined the challenge ahead for the Drua and the other expansion side, Moana Pasifika, as they look to be competitive against experienced opponents from New Zealand and Australia.

The Waratahs were the worst performing Australian team last year, losing 13 matches in a winless season.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)