Moana Pasifika vs Fijian Drua Prediction: A close encounter expected

Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua are set to face off at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in the second round of the Super Rugby Pacific. Both teams commenced their season with losses last weekend. Which side will have a better opportunity in this upcoming match?

Moana enters their third season in Super Rugby with a strong desire to avoid finishing at the bottom of the table for the third consecutive year. Despite being competitive in most of their matches, they have struggled to secure enough victories. The current season kicked off with a 35-21 defeat away to the Highlanders. While they managed to score two tries and kept the game closely contested for significant periods, their downfall came with conceding 15 turnovers, a factor that needs significant improvement at this level of competition heading into the upcoming weekend.

The Fijian Drua had an outstanding season in the previous Super Rugby edition, reaching the quarter-finals and consistently surprising opponents throughout their three seasons in the tournament. Despite their ability to defeat any team on a given day, the familiar narrative continued last week. They suffered a 34-10 loss to the Blues in Auckland. While losing to a top side like the Blues is not a disgrace, the Drua's performance was of a notably higher standard. However, they ultimately paid the price for not capitalizing on their opportunities and making significant errors at crucial moments.

The Fijian Drua are considered favorites with a seven-point handicap. The recent history between these two teams has seen close matches, with one- and two-point margins in favor of the Drua in the last two games. Anticipating another closely contested battle with numerous tries, the expectation is that Moana will keep the game within seven points of the Drua. Additionally, there's a prediction that the total points in the game will exceed 58.5.