Fijian Drua
Highlanders
HFC Bank Stadium, Suva
Championship Standings
The Highlanders sit 7th on 20 points — four points and two places clear of the Drua, who are 9th and out of the playoff picture barring a miracle run. Both have identical 4–6 records, but the Highlanders have a far healthier point differential (−45 vs −113).
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hurricanes | 9 | 7 | 2 | +217 | 35 |
| 2 | Chiefs | 10 | 8 | 2 | +129 | 35 |
| 3 | Blues | 10 | 7 | 3 | +82 | 33 |
| 4 | Crusaders | 10 | 5 | 5 | +54 | 26 |
| 5 | Brumbies | 10 | 5 | 5 | +16 | 25 |
| 6 | Queensland Reds | 9 | 5 | 4 | −39 | 22 |
| 7 | Highlanders | 10 | 4 | 6 | −45 | 20 |
| 8 | NSW Waratahs | 9 | 4 | 5 | −43 | 19 |
| 9 | Fijian Drua | 10 | 4 | 6 | −113 | 16 |
| 10 | Western Force | 9 | 3 | 6 | −26 | 14 |
| 11 | Moana Pasifika | 10 | 1 | 9 | −232 | 4 |
Fijian Drua
W2, L3The Drua's last five tells the story — two narrow wins (a one-score grind past the Force at home, then a stunning 33–28 boilover in Canberra against the Brumbies) sandwiched between three heavy defeats on the road. The Brumbies upset showed what they're capable of when they travel light. But the 42–22 loss in Hamilton last week is the more typical away script. They've now conceded 30+ points in seven of their last ten outings.
Highlanders
W2, L3Two wins in five — both against Moana Pasifika, the only side beneath them in the table. Strip those out and the Highlanders haven't beaten a top-eight side since their Round 1 boilover of the Crusaders. The 50–7 humiliation by the Hurricanes and the 47–40 shootout loss in Auckland point to a defence that bleeds when stretched. They scored 40 in Auckland and still lost.
Head-to-Head Record
0 – 0 – 4
Fijian Drua wins · Draws · Highlanders wins (4 meetings, all in NZ)
The Highlanders have won every single meeting since the Drua entered Super Rugby in 2022 — and crucially, every one of those four games has been played in New Zealand. The Drua have never hosted the Highlanders before. The recent margins have been emphatic (39–3, 57–24, 43–20), making this 4–0 series look more lopsided than it likely is on neutral footing.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 2025 | Super Rugby | Highlanders 43–20 Fijian Drua |
| May 2024 | Super Rugby | Highlanders 39–3 Fijian Drua |
| Mar 2023 | Super Rugby | Highlanders 57–24 Fijian Drua |
| Apr 2022 | Super Rugby | Highlanders 27–24 Fijian Drua |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Highlanders 42 – Drua 18. The Highlanders have won by an average of 24 points — but every game has been at Forsyth Barr or another NZ venue. Suva flips the script entirely.
Extended Form
Fijian Drua4W, 6L (season)
Drua's home record in 2026 is the lifeline: wins over the Hurricanes (25–20) and Brumbies (42–27) in Suva/Lautoka, plus the Force scrap. Away from Fiji they're 1–5.
The Drua are essentially a different team in Fiji. Their only away win in 2026 was that one-score raid in Canberra. Bring them home, give them heat and humidity and a Suva crowd, and they're capable of beating anyone — the Hurricanes scalp at the same venue is the proof.
Highlanders4W, 6L (season)
Highlanders have won twice on the road in 2026 — both against Moana Pasifika (in Auckland and again in Albany). They haven't beaten a non-Pasifika side away from Dunedin all season.
Travel has been a problem. Two of their three road wins came against the league's worst side, and the only other meaningful away result was the R7 win in Albany over Moana again. Asking them to fly to Suva, in 30-degree heat, against a Drua side desperate to salvage their season — this is exactly the away test they've been failing.
Fijian Drua XV
Drua name a strong XV with co-captains Temo Mayanavanua and Frank Lomani leading the side. Virimi Vakatawa and Tuidraki Samusamuvodre form a powerful midfield, and Issak Fines-Leleiwasa partners Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula at halfback. Isikeli Rabitu starts at fullback with Joji Nasova on the wing.
Highlanders XV
Highlanders are led by co-captains Ethan de Groot and Timoci Tavatavanawai. Folau Fakatava and Cameron Millar form the halfback pairing, with Jona Nareki and Jonah Lowe on the wings flanking Tavatavanawai and Tanielu Tele'a in midfield. Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens starts at fullback.
Key Matchups
The set piece tilts to the Highlanders — de Groot, Ta'avao and Taylor are an All Blacks-calibre front row and Fakatava is the better 9 by a margin. But the Drua's strike runners are devastating in space, and Canakaivata (now past 50 caps) and Vakatawa give them the offload threat that has burned the Highlanders' fragile defence all season. If Suva turns into a track meet, the Drua will outscore them. If the Highlanders can choke the tempo and play territory through Millar's boot, they win.
Match Forecast
On paper this is a Highlanders win — 4–0 H2H, superior set piece, more reliable halfbacks. But every one of those four wins was in New Zealand, and the Highlanders haven't beaten anyone other than Moana Pasifika on the road in 2026. Drop them into Suva in 30-degree heat against a Drua side that has already accounted for the Hurricanes and Brumbies, and the venue advantage flips the maths. The Drua are 4–6 overall but home-and-away that splits cleanly: dangerous in Fiji, hopeless abroad.
The risk is that the Drua again ship 30+ points — they've done it seven times in ten games — and the Highlanders' counter-attack through Tavatavanawai and Lowe punishes loose play. Cameron Millar's boot in territory is also a real weapon if the Drua try to play width from their own half. But the heat, the historical fact that the touring side has never had to play this fixture in Fiji, and the Drua's home pedigree this season tilt it home by a score.
Drua to win their first-ever home meeting with the Highlanders — narrowly, in a high-tempo Suva shootout.