The NSW Waratahs are headed to Fiji for business, not pleasure.

The NSW Waratahs are travelling to Fiji for business purposes rather than for fun as they attempt to turn around their Super Rugby Pacific campaign following back-to-back two-point home losses to opponents from New Zealand.

The Waratahs are down one from four and already down the eight-ball after their heartbreaking 23-21 loss to the Highlanders, which was followed by a 12-10 setback to the Blues on Saturday night.

The defending champion Crusaders found out in an upset loss in round two that facing the Fijian Drua in Lautoka will be intense and confrontational.

However, the Waratahs are thrilled about the chance to resurrect their prospects of making the finals in Canberra against the Drua and Australia’s premier Brumbies in a potentially pivotal two-game block.

All four of the Tahs’ prior meetings with the Drua have been in victories for them.

“The crowd is expected to be antagonistic. The heat will be felt by both teams, though, said to Waratahs captain Jake Gordon.

“Every time we’ve played Fiji, we’ve performed incredibly well; we’ve neutralised their threats.

“We spent a lot of time at set-piece. We’ve had some excellent outcomes when we’ve faced them.

“The danger there is that we don’t get looser with the ball as it gets a little bit wetter.

“We resume our aerial game play. Proceed to the set-piece. It’s crucial for us to play differently from the Drua in Fiji the following week.”

Coach Darren Coleman, who is out of contract at the end of the competition, seems undeterred by the growing uncertainty, even though he expressed in the preseason that he believed a decision regarding his future could be made by round four or five.

However, he says his players should only be concerned with winning football games and doesn’t want them to be asked questions all the time.

“The board have been really supportive and we’ve just got to get on with this season,” Coleman stated.

“I don’t need athletes to discuss or even worry about my future.

“We’re just so intent on winning those games that we lost by two points. The decision will be made regarding what my future holds.

“I mentioned it two weeks ago following our victory over the Crusaders; it’s a topic we no longer wish to discuss.

“I trust the people making the decisions and I’ve got full faith they’ll do what’s right for the organisation, and what they think is best.”

Gordon is certain that the Waratahs from this year are better than the ones from 2023 and can resolve the issue without the board’s involvement.

“Our group is quite close-knit. We battle fiercely “said he.

“We’ll be a difficult team to beat if we concentrate on getting better every week.

“Compared to last year, we are such a different team. At times, even outside of games, we were getting amped.

“Right now, we’re a different squad. We simply need to be a little more focused, particularly when playing a strong team.”

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