Photo: Fijian Drua Facebook
The Fijian Drua lost their second straight game in the Super Rugby Pacific season when they went down 36-13 to the Waratahs in Friday night's clash in Sydney.
Co-captain Frank Lomani said post-match they could not continue with the good start they made in the first quarter.
"We were in the game with eight points separating us until the last 20 minutes when we could not hold on," Lomani told Sky Sport.
"We talked about having a good start and we did that but we could not continue that."
Following last weekend's 40-26 loss to Moana Pasifika in Lautoka, the Drua needed a win in Sydney to put them back on the right track.
But they could not hold off the Waratahs onslaught.
The star for the hosts at Allianz Stadium was winger Max Jorgensen, whose two tries showed his skills and speed, as the NSW Waratahs continue their unbeaten start.
As he did last week in a big win over Queensland, Jorgensen lit up Allianz Stadium with a special solo effort that turned the match the Waratahs' way four minutes before halftime.
With nothing on, flyhalf Lawson Creighton fired a triple cut-out pass to Jorgensen and watched the electrifying Wallabies winger do the rest.
With little room to move, the 21-year-old beat his Drua opposite Taniela Rakuro with quick sidesteps before diving for the line, despite fullback Ilaisa Droaseses' attempt to stop him short.
Jorgensen was controversially denied a second five-pointer three minutes later when the TMO ruled a forward pass in the lead-up to the winger racing 30 metres to seemingly score under the posts on the stroke of halftime.
But officials couldn't deny Jorgensen a second try from the last play.
He swooped on a well-placed grubber kick from Jack Debreczeni to dot down in the dying seconds, to the delight of the mostly pro-Waratahs crowd of 13,578.
"It's pretty hard to beat the home crowd. Such a great, great support crew," Jorgensen told Stan Sport.
"Look how many people show up here tonight. It's amazing. The home crowd getting around you really does stuff for you and really pushes you through the full 80."
While Jorgensen again provided the highlights, it was the NSW forwards who paved the way for the victory.
No.8 Pete Samu and back-rower Clem Halaholo were all power, while replacement hooker Ioane Moananu also bagged a try-scoring double on debut for the Waratahs after moving from the defending champion Crusaders.
Flanker Charlie Gamble and replacement lock Angus Blyth also crossed for the Tahs.
Winger Taniela Rakuro scored the Drua's lone try with flyhalf Isaiah Washington-Ravula kicking two penalties and a conversion.
Five takeaways from the Fijian Drua vs Waratahs match
1. Consistency - The Fijian Drua are still struggling and were inconsistent in the game. They started well but then faltered badly. While they were able to string some phases together, their inability to break the Waratahs' defense should be an area they should focus on moving forward. Falling in the last quarter meant they were slowly pushing themselves out of the game.
2. Ill-discipline - This is an area that the Fijian Drua also need to work on. Giving away penalties, letting the ball bounce when they should be catching it on the full, and running for the high balls without communicating first were some of the areas that stood out. There were instances when a player who could have gone for the ball on the ground was found diving over the tackled ball, missing the opportunity to win turnovers and keep the momentum going.
3. Aggression or the lack of it - While the Waratahs showed a lot of aggression on attack and defense, the Drua were found wanting a few times. It's an area that co-captain Frank Lomani highlighted. Being aggressive does not mean playing outside the rules of the game.
4. Impact players - The Waratahs used their impact players well, with players coming off the bench lifting the momentum of the game. The Drua struggled in that area.
5. Variation - While the Waratahs showed a lot of variation in their general game, the Drua were often found wanting, even when they had the ball in hand. A flat backline is always the best to defend against and the Waratahs managed to do that successfully, leading to their win.
The Fijian Drua now head back home for their third match, taking on the Hurricanes, who defeated Moana Pasifika 52-10 earlier on Friday.
The Waratahs will have a bye next weekend.
