Two late tries from powerful flanker Luke Reimer helped the Brumbies clinch a hard-fought 36-32 victory over Fijian Drua in a thrilling Super Rugby Pacific encounter in Suva.

It appeared that head coach Stephen Larkham’s decision to leave several key Wallabies at home would backfire, as the Brumbies trailed for much of the match. However, Reimer’s second try in the 74th minute turned the tide in their favour.

Making their first-ever trip to Fiji, the Brumbies became the first Australian team to win there, with the Drua now having suffered just two home defeats in their last 11 matches.

Larkham opted to rest Test prop James Slipper, lock Nick Frost, full-back Tom Wright, and centre Len Ikitau in Canberra, while other Wallabies stars, including Rob Valetini, were sidelined through injury.

The decision initially seemed justified, as the visitors stormed to a 17-7 lead, aided by two Drua yellow cards.

One of those dismissals was for winger Vuate Karawalevu, who was penalised for a deliberate knockdown. However, he redeemed himself in the second half, scoring twice to put his side ahead.

The Brumbies crossed for three first-half tries through hooker Billy Pollard, centre Ollie Sapsford, and scrum-half Ryan Lonergan, who darted down the short side from a lineout.

However, 12 handling errors compared to the home side’s two, along with two missed conversions from Noah Lolesio, undermined their early dominance. A converted try by centre Ponipate Loganimasi in the 37th minute gave the Drua an 18-17 lead at half-time.

The momentum continued to swing, with debutant Karawalevu’s second try extending the hosts' advantage to 32-24 by the 60th minute.

Forced off early in the second half for a Head Injury Assessment (HIA), Reimer returned to make a decisive impact, capitalising on the Brumbies’ superior set-piece play.

Alongside winning four turnovers, he crossed the line in the 67th minute before burrowing over again in the 74th to put the visitors ahead 34-32.

Replacement fly-half Declan Meredith added the extras, sealing a four-point triumph.

Stand-in captain Lonergan expressed immense pride in his side’s resilience, particularly given the 13-hour journey to Suva via Melbourne.

“I’m so proud. To be able to field six debutants and see them show such heart at the end to claw back that deficit—it’s a credit to them,” Lonergan told Stan Sport.

“They’ve worked incredibly hard throughout pre-season, grinding away behind the scenes, and for them to get the reward here at the end is fantastic.

“Our set-piece was crucial in getting us back into the game, and a couple of great tries from Lukey Reimer—who I’m sure won’t stop reminding us about them—sealed the win.”