Moana Pasifika players celebrate after beating the Highlanders. Photo: Martin Hunter/ActionPress
The Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika recorded two good wins under different circumstances over the weekend.
The Drua kept their winning record against the Queensland Reds intact at the National Stadium in Suva, with a last-minute try by Isikeli Rabitu giving them a 36-33 win.
However, that win may have come a little too late for the Fijians, who still sit at the bottom of the Super Rugby Pacific standing.
In Dunedin on Sunday, Ardie Savea and Moana Pasifika were too strong and clinical for the Highlanders, upsetting them in a 34-29 victory.
It was the team's first-ever win over the Highlanders in the competition, and one that pushed them into the top six.
Both teams showed a lot of fight in registering their respective wins, coming from behind to defeat their opponents.
Here are five lessons we can learn from the teams' performances.
1. 80-minute battle
Rugby is an 80-minute game, and anything can happen until the final whistle.
The saying "It ain't over until it's over" proved true for both teams.
In Suva, the Reds had taken the lead going into the final minute of the game.
And as the seconds ticked away, it looked as if the Drua were on their way to claiming a comeback win, their forward pack taking the ball up, keeping it tight.
However, it almost ended for them when Reds' Fijian heritage player Seru Uru claimed the ball in what looked like a turn-over win.
But Uru spilled the ball forward straight into Rabitu's hands, and the replacement utility crashed his way through to clinch the winning try.
Captain Mesake Doge pointed to the team's fighting spirit and keeping in the fight up to that winning second.
In Dunedin, the same could be said of Moana Pasifika.
Replacement halfback Meilani Matavao charged down a clearing kick close to the Highlanders' try line, as the hosts had led on the scoreboard in the last four minutes of the game.
Matavao's try proved to be the winner in the end for the visitors.
Savea told the post-match conference he was happy with the boys' confidence and self-belief throughout, even when they were staring at defeat.
2. Set pieces critical
Both the Drua and Moana Pasifika showed that winning set pieces is fundamental to forward rugby.
In both tightly contested matches, winning the scrums and lineouts proved to be key factors for setting up scoring opportunities and converting those into points.
The Reds proved to be a handful in the lineout battles and used their driving mauls as a big weapon in the game.
Yet, they also lost some calls and the Drua thrived on those to turn things around.
Highlanders lost quite a number of their own throws in the lineouts and feeds in the scrums, as Moana Pasifika slowly gained control in those two critical areas.
3. Right end of field
One major lesson both teams would have taken out is the importance of playing in the right end of the field.
That proved true for both teams who managed to secure the winning tries when they were hard on attack close to their opposition lines.
4. Up the Ds
A big area that both teams still need to work on is their defence.
Both teams need to win their remaining matches to keep their records in good standing going into the final rounds of matches.
The Drua have two home matches against the Blues and Western Force. For them there is no other way but win to reassure their fans.
Fans have stayed away in the last two home games - against the Waratahs three weekends ago and the Reds on Saturday.
To finish off the bottom of the table, the Fijians must keep winning, and their D is a major area that can help them attain that.
For Moana Pasifika, it is another area that both Savea and head coach Fa'alogo Tana Umaga have pointed to.
To have a chance of securing their top six spot and advance from there their defence must be on the spot.
5. Cut the penalties
This area can not be re-emphasised any more that what both team coaches have been doing.
As important as upping their Ds (defence), both teams have been guilty of letting their opponents in by giving away penalties.
Savea owned up to that in Dunedin, saying it is an area he himself would have to work on before they take on the Blues next weekend.
The Drua must ensure they do not keep repeating the same mistakes against the Blues this weekend.
It will be exciting to see if the teams are able to take the lessons and improve their own games going forward.
