SUVA, Fiji (AP) — The Fijian Drua will play seven matches in Fiji next Super Rugby Pacific season in a move that reflects the success of its home matches last season which all had large attendances and the most enthusiastic crowds in the tournament.

Five of those matches will be played at Churchill Park in Lautoka and two at the national stadium in the capital Suva.

The number of matches in Suva is limited because the stadium will be undergoing refurbishment to its athletics track.

Three of the matches in Lautoka will be played in March. The Drua’s home opponents will include the defending champion Crusaders, who they beat 25-24 in Lautoka in the major upset of the 2023 regular season.

Matches against the New South Wales Waratahs and Western Force also will be played in March and will be double-headers with matches in the Super Rugby Women’s competition.

The Drua will play against the Wellington-based Hurricanes and Queensland Reds in Suva and the Melbourne Rebels and Moana Pasifika in Lautoka.

The 2024 Super Rugby Pacific regular season runs from Feb. 23 to June 1, with the playoffs over the next three weekends. The Drua finished seventh after the regular season this year to qualify for the quarterfinals for the first time.

It had six wins in 14 matches, including those at home over the Crusaders and the Melbourne Rebels.

The Drua squad for 2024 contains 18 players who played for Fiji in the country's run to the quarterfinals at the year’s Rugby World Cup, which included an historica group-stage win over Australia.

Mick Byrne, an Australian, returns as head coach.

___

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby