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Expect Fiji Drua to light up the National Rugby Championship for the first time when they line up against two-time champions Brisbane City. Join The Roar for live scores from 3pm (AEST).
This should be a high-scoring and entertaining affair, as Brisbane host a Fiji side with plenty of talent, headlined by Frank Lomani.
Lomani starred for the Fijian under 20s in 2016 and has the turn of foot off the mark to take advantage of any lazy defence around the breakdown. With the frenetic speed of the NRC, plenty of those gaps should appear.
Lomani’s combination with fellow young gun Kini Douglas will be pivotal to Fijian success this season. However, most players in this team are unknown quantities, and a handful of quality perfomances could be enough to catch the eye of a Super Rugby club.
This team will spring some surprises this season, playing with the flair Fijians are known and loved for, and they will bring big crowds.
A handful of wins are on the cards but finals football may just be out of reach when the final fortnight rolls around.
Brisbane meanwhile, possess a squad filled with experience and quality, including Wallabies Quade Cooper, Kane Douglas, Nick Frisby, Karmichael Hunt and Samu Kerevi.
With this sqaud, Brisbane should be expected to improve on a disappointing seventh placed finish last season – that was a far cry from the undefeated campaign of 2015.
Combine that with a complete capitulation in points production – from 400 scored in 2015 to 216 in 2016 – and you have the recipe for a season that left fans bitterly disappointed.
The performances of Cooper and Frisby today will go a long way to deciding if Brisbane start their new season with a win.
Prediction
Fiji should ask their fair share of questions this afternoon but Brisbane’s experienced roster should do enough to get the job done at home.
Brisbane by 14.