'Against the odds' Reds comfortable being written off ahead of Drua semi-final

Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 5:12 AM
Nathan Williamson
by Nathan Williamson
NSW Waratahs host the Queensland Reds in Round 5 of Swyftx Super Rugby Women's 2026.

Queensland Reds coach Andrew Fraser is eager for his team to showcase that last fortnight's win over the NSW Waratahs wasn't a one-off.

It comes as they prepare to face the Fijian Drua for a place in the Super Rugby W Final, a rematch of the 2023 Grand Final.

Watch every second of the 2026 Super Rugby Women's season live and on demand via Stan Sport.

For the Reds, the finals started early as they upset the defending champions, the Waratahs, in the final round to book their spot in the top four after a slow start to the season.

"I love how people phrase it as totally against the odds, because that's what this team's about," Fraser said to reporters.

"We've got a lot of belief in ourselves and we've built a campaign around being selfless in our approach.

"The victory at Leichhardt reinforced those values that we have brought into this squad. Whilst it was historic in many respects, they were deserving of it, and now we take that confidence over to Fiji and take on the might of the Drua."

Fraser has kept the same starting side that defeated the Waratahs in the quest to back up last year's impressive win in Fiji.

On that day, the Reds held on to a 22-19 victory after leading 22-0, surviving a late burst from the Drua at Churchill Park.

"I think those wins against New South Wales and Fiji have shown that this group has grown in two years, and we've got a lot of self-confidence out of what happened," Fraser believes.

"We'll take the field with that confidence to prove that this program is going in leaps and bounds and hopefully achieve the ultimate goal

"We've come into this program with the ultimate belief that we want to win the program, but you've got to do it step by step.

"We took our first step against New South Wales, and we'll take our second step against Fiji this weekend, but we know what we want, and we're looking forward to working towards that."

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