Fijian Drua have ended the Highlanders' hopes of reaching the Super Rugby playoffs, becoming the first Pacific expansion team to reach the post-season.
A dominant second-half has propelled the Drua to a 41-17 victory over the Reds at Suva, leapfrogging both the Reds and Highlanders into seventh on the competition table in the final week of the regular season.
Level 17-17 at halftime, the home side piled on 24 unanswered points after the break to book a quarter-final meeting with either the tabletopping Chiefs or defending champion Crusaders next weekend.
Their sixth win of the season is four more than they managed in their 2022 debut campaign. Their final placing will depend on the Force v Chiefs game on Sunday morning (NZ time), with the Western Australians capable of jumping ahead of the Fijians with victory.
"The boys are happy," said Drua captain Meli Derenalagi. "You can see how happy we are right now.
"Our fans have come out in big numbers today, just to support the home team... being behind us throughout the whole season has made it enjoyable for the boys behind me. That's why they're playing their hearts out today.
"This win is for our coach Mick [Byrne], who is going through a hard obstacle in his life, with the passing away of his father. The game that we play today, we dedicate to him to give him some happiness."
Five of their wins have come in Fiji, including success against the Crusaders and Hurricanes.
The result effectively ends the Super Rugby career of veteran All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith, with his departure for Japan after this year's Rugby World Cup.
Join Newshub at 7pm Saturday for live updates of the Hurricanes v Crusaders Super Rugby Pacific clash
