The Swire Shipping Fijian Drua’s continued commitment to supporting rugby at the grassroots level has reached a new milestone — with the Club creating a pre-season trial match against a team made up of the best local talent from Fiji’s provincial competition.
The Drua vs Provincial Select team trial will take place on Friday 6th February 2026 at Lautoka’s Churchill Park.
The historic fixture is the brainchild of Drua Head Coach Glen Jackson, who shared it with Fiji Rugby stakeholders and provincial union leaders at the FRU Symposium on Monday 25 August 2025.
It will be a match made in heaven for Fijian fans as they watch their favourite Drua and local provincial players pit their skills against each other just one week out from the first round of Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific 2026.
Fiji Rugby General Manager High Performance Naca Cawanibuka says the trial match represents a strong alignment between Fiji Rugby and the Fijian Drua, creating a clear pathway for emerging provincial talent to progress to the professional level.
Cawanibuka says this initiative, driven by the shared vision of Jackson and GM Baden Stephenson, will now be established as an annual fixture.
He says it also provides provincial coaches with exposure to elite-level preparation and coaching environments, supporting overall rugby development in Fiji.
The Glen Jackson coached side is ready for the match that will provide an exciting opportunity to see the nation’s top provincial players in action against the Drua.
Jackson says it has been a long time coming as they tried to make it happen last year and he’s glad Fiji Rugby is onboard now, and he would like to thank Master Naca for leading the charge on this.
He says it’s a big challenge for them, obviously Fiji versus Fiji, but it’s the perfect build-up ahead of facing Moana Pasifika.
The Drua coach say they have got a big pre-season ahead, with the squad starting on Monday, with the exception of their players in the Flying Fijians squad obviously.
He says it has been a great year of Provincial rugby in all its tiers, and they’re excited to go up against the team they will put together.
Jackson says they’re hoping the Lautoka and Western community turns up in numbers for what promises to be a great occasion.
The Drua says more information around ticket prices and other details will be released in the coming months.
[Source: Drua]
