Still smarting over their humbling at the hands of the Canberra Vikings last weekend, the Fijian Drua arrived at TG Millner Field in Sydney keen to get straight back on the winner’s rostrum and kickstart their run to the finals. Up against them was a Greater Sydney Rams side also keen to get back into the winning habit after losing their last run-out two weeks before to Melbourne Rising. Their cause wasn’t helped by the absence of several key players, most notably Waratahs Jed Holloway, Taqele Naiyaravoro and Mack Mason.

The Fijian Drua rubber-stamped their finals credentials with an impressive 57-31 win over Greater Sydney Rams at TG Millner Field last Saturday. Stung by the heavy loss in Canberra the week before, the visitors simply blew away a game that was in the balance at 31-all as it entered the final quarter, crossing four times without reply to cement their place in the top four, and get their hands on the Horan-Little Shield for the first time in the process.

With both sides going into this clash with one win and two losses to their name, another defeat would leave an uphill path to the finals, and it was last year’s runners-up NSW Country Eagles, who eventually downed the Sydney Rays 26-17 in an unconvincing but much-needed victory in Goulburn.