{"id":277957,"date":"2023-03-14T00:22:26","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T01:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=277957"},"modified":"2023-03-14T04:59:21","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T04:59:21","slug":"bizarre-twist-to-fijis-magical-super-rugby-ride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=277957","title":{"rendered":"'Bizarre twist' to Fiji's magical Super Rugby ride"},"content":{"rendered":"

It only took three rounds for us to get our first run of upsets in Super Rugby Pacific<\/a> and woah, did they give us a couple of moments to remember.<\/p>\n

And while those were playing out in our pocket of the globe, a former Brumbies and Aussie under-20s star was tearing up the Six Nations<\/a>\u2026 again!<\/p>\n

Let's get into it.<\/p>\n

\ufeffWatch the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season on the home of rugby, Stan Sport.<\/strong><\/em> All matches streaming ad free, live and on demand<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Masi's<\/p>\n

TOSO DRUA<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you missed the Fijian Drua's upset victory against the Crusaders from Lautoka on the weekend<\/a>, make a point of catching the highlights on Stan Sport.<\/p>\n

You'll be treated to a deafening, capacity crowd, more Drua magic and a finish that's hard to believe.<\/p>\n

I said last week that they'll be tough to beat over there, but didn't expect their first home win would come against the defending champions.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Olympic legend dies in his sleep after battle with deadly disease<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Roos grilled over 'pathetic' Clarkson backflip<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Why the NRL's $400m ambition is misplaced<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/StanSportRugby\/status\/1635415443115573251?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n

Kemu Valetini, older brother of Rob, was the hero at the death after a crazy journey to Super Rugby.<\/p>\n

He was doing his thing with the Harlequins in Melbourne club-land before joining the Manly Marlins under Phil Blake last year in the Shute Shield.<\/p>\n

In a bizarre twist, 'Blakey' will coach against Kemu this weekend with the Queensland Reds set to host the Drua in Brisbane.<\/p>\n

NEW PODCAST! Sean Maloney, Morgan Turinui and Stephen Hoiles revel in the Drua's famous win and Aussie export Mack Hansen setting the Six Nations alight again<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

https:\/\/omny.fm\/shows\/between-two-posts-1\/lively-lautoka-magical-mack\/embed?style=Cover<\/a><\/p>\n

REBEL BARBARIANS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get this for a mix of internationals being brought together by coach Kevin Foote and general manager Nick Stiles down at the Rebels.<\/p>\n

Monty Ioane will play for Italy at the Rugby World Cup.<\/p>\n

Richard Hardwick looks set to star with Namibia against Ioane in pool play.<\/p>\n

\"Richard<\/p>\n

Stacey Ili is already capped with Samoa and will no doubt get some game time at Test level this year.<\/p>\n

Finally, Vaiolini Ekuasi made an incredible impression off the bench in his team's win on Friday.<\/p>\n

Every time he ran with the ball he dragged Waratahs defenders with him.<\/p>\n

\"Vaiolini<\/p>\n

Ekuasi played New Zealand under-20s before winning one Super Rugby cap with the Blues last year. He is dynamite.<\/p>\n

Still in Melbourne, it must've given the home team a huge boost hearing the 'Rebels, Rebels' chant late in the game.<\/p>\n

It's been a while since they've caught that kinda noise and the performance deserved it.<\/p>\n

\"White<\/p>\n

ALL WHITE\u2026 ALL WHITE\u2026 ALL WHITE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nic White became the most recent Super Rugby centurion back in round one with a cameo from the bench against the Waratahs in Sydney.<\/p>\n

On Saturday he was able to receive the full treatment from family and friends in Canberra following their win against the Reds.<\/p>\n

White made his debut way back in 2011 against the same opposition and has since become one of the most prominent players in Aussie rugby.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/StanSportRugby\/status\/1634507989867458567?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n

With his three little ones and wife Mel on hand, 'Whitey' marked his 100th with teammates and fans singing the club song on the field after fulltime.<\/p>\n

I've been covering Super Rugby closely since 2007 and it was the first time I've ever seen a team embrace their fans to celebrate a win like that.<\/p>\n

I hope it isn't the last because it will have created a connection and a bunch of memories for the next wave of kids wanting to play with the Brums.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I don't think it should stop with Super Rugby either.<\/p>\n

Should the Wallabies bag a home win before the World Cup, they could share their customary post-game song, the national anthem, out on the field with the fans.<\/p>\n

Imagine the lasting impact that would make ahead of their trip to France.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/ClcRbcwgCdA\/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=<\/a><\/p>\n

LIKE FATHER…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Was unlucky enough to be sat next to promising Waratahs prop Dan Botha for the flight back from Melbourne on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n

The kid has shoulders like bowling balls which leaves very little wiggle room back in economy.<\/p>\n

Morgan Turinui mentioned in commentary that Dan's dad Chris had made a mad dash back from Cape Town to watch his son's debut in Super Round.<\/p>\n

\"Daniel<\/p>\n

Friend of the column Andrew Logan followed up by telling me Chris played for Zimbabwe in the 1991 World Cup.<\/p>\n

The 'Sables' delivered their best performance against Scotland, going down by just 39 at Murrayfield.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/StanSportRugby\/status\/1635445644998615041?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n

MMMM BOP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hansen is the name everyone's cheering in the Six Nations right now and with very good reason.<\/p>\n

Mack Hansen, the laid back 24-year-old who went to school in Canberra, played Aussie under-20s and won games for the Brumbies has now earned two straight man of the match awards<\/a> with world No.1 Ireland.<\/p>\n

He's also earned praise from World Rugby hall of famers Brian O'Driscoll and Ronan O'Gara – which basically means Mack drinks free in Dublin for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n

\"'Oh,<\/p>\n

His team can land the coveted Grand Slam with a victory vs England this week.<\/p>\n

Should that happen, Aussie Mack will cop free Guinness at every Irish pub in the world.<\/p>\n

\"Charlotte<\/p>\n

250 AND COUNTING<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aussie sevens freak Charlotte Caslick finished with silver in Vancouver last Monday in a tournament that saw her reach 250 world series games.<\/p>\n

She's a two-time World Rugby sevens player of the year, an Olympic gold medallist and one of the most recognisable players in Australia.<\/p>\n

Coach Tim Walsh marked her achievement with a heart felt poem delivered in the sheds.<\/p>\n

Good areas all round.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/SuperRugby\/status\/1635158752033931267?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n

CHILD'S PLAY\ufeff<\/strong><\/p>\n

This weekend sees the inaugural 'Kids Round' set to play out in Super Rugby.<\/p>\n

It's a great concept with each club embracing the chance to give the little ones something to remember.<\/p>\n

There'll be giveaways and opportunities for them to meet the players.<\/p>\n

And if you've ever wondered what the Wallabies would've looked like as cartoon kids, get around some of these. Spooky.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CnVuj4kr196\/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=<\/a><\/p>\n

For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/strong><\/em> clicking here<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It only took three rounds for us to get our first run of upsets in Super Rugby Pacific and woah, did they give us a […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277957"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=277957"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":277959,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277957\/revisions\/277959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=277957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=277957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=277957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}