‘We can’t stop talking about them’: Fijiana Drua revolutionise women’s rugby in Australia

When Captain Cook spent time in Fiji in 1774, he and his crew were astounded by the “drua” – double-hulled boats that were then some of the most advanced sea vessels in the world. Elegant in their simplicity, they were created by binding together buabua trees, not with nails but by “magimagi”, or coconut fibres.

Over time, this shipbuilding genius went into decline, but nearly 250 years later, Fijians re-emerged as the world’s best – not in the water this time, but on the rugby sevens field. And now, in 2022, the ancient trailblazers have again risen in the 15-a-side version of the game, courtesy of the Fijiana Drua’s debut in the women’s Super W competition.

While the Fijian Drua men’s team have struggled on their way to a 1-7 record – their best players have been poached for years by Australian, New Zealand and UK teams – the women’s team have swept all before them in their inaugural Super W year, playing a brand of entertaining rugby that would make their pioneering ancestors weep with pleasure.

These Drua are bound not by coconut fibres but by faith and the “veilomani” spirit – a love for each other – and they have revolutionised women’s rugby in Australia with an intoxicating brand of running rugby not seen since the Mark Ella era of the 1980s.

They have comprehensively defeated the five established Australian teams and their 5-0 record – and remarkable 184-51 for and against numbers – has earned them the title of minor premiers and a place in Saturday’s grand final against the NSW Waratahs.

The Waratahs are well resourced and have been the imposing powerhouse of the Super W competition – they had been undefeated since its inception – but their five-year winning streak was brutally ended by the Drua earlier this