Hats off to Fijian Drua’s all-rounder Frank Lamani who showed that he’s more than just a half-back tonight in the starting No.9 shirt. He can communicate well every time his Drua team have the ball on hand & follow his lead in order to get the job done in attack, while he can fill-in well as conversion kicker too which is a bonus particularly during the 2nd 40. It just goes to show he has an excellent mindset as well as pace & power that demonstrates his all-round natural game & leadership too. Thanks to the Reds weaknesses through the ill-discipline, he never stopped working hard as he’s can’t wait to challenge the Crusaders next Saturday in hoping to upset them once again for a semis spot.
There’s another Drua player to get behind en route to Christchurch in none other than Joseva Tamani on the blindside back row at No.6. He too has been destructive with his all-round input just like F. Lomani except the height of course where Joseva is much taller than him, such as the physicality, vision & defensive contribution. All of these attributes he’s got helped Drua put themselves on the front foot, especially right from the beginning. Then his side went full on after the half-time break & Joseva has been active as ever since with one TRY assist to Mesake Doge & a TRY himself to finish such an easy game at home with pace.
And Angus Blyth rounds out as the top Reds player of this match playing on the second row at No.5. He played a huge role in the Reds’ two tries earlier on where Angus provides a combination of such brilliant strength & towering height too that helped his side get past Drua in its tracks. Plus, he can be a sound defender too on occasions as well, having played about just over 50 Super Rugby games for them since 2018. Great mind, physicality & input that makes him an important player for his team. It’s not just his day today when lots of ill-discipline & lack of 2nd half ball chances bite back to haunt the Reds, as it remains to see if the Reds will play in the Quarter-Final v Chiefs next Saturday. After the Western Force’s loss v Chiefs, Reds will now face them again but will need to show some team spirit in the hope of another upset like they did a few weeks ago.
