But the ACT Brumbies changed that on Saturday night at Lang Park.

The visitors executed game plan of slowing down the undefeated Drua, and their defensive work to hold them to 17 points, were two silver linings in the side's final game for 2022. As the power of Fijiana proved too great in their 17-7 defeat.

The league leaders started the match with their signature fast pace play, but the Brumbies defensive efforts inside their own 22 kept the visitors at bay for the opening minutes.

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Quick offloads from a maul turned into a line break, forcing Jemima McCalman to make a try-saving, one-on-one tackle on the line. Two phases later, Vitalina Naikore forced her way over the top and crossed for Drua's first at the 17 minute mark.

The slowing of play by the Brumbies kept it at 5-0 for the remainder of the half, despite losing captain Rebecca Smyth for the last 10-minutes of the half for a high tackle.

"It was gruelling out there but everyone had a cracker of a game," Smyth said.

"The girls they played as best as they could for the whole game."

Prior to the Brumbies round-six efforts, the Queensland Reds had the best first-half effort against Drua by keeping them to two tries, and the best full 80 by holding them to 27 points.

The first blow of the second half for the Brumbies came in the 51^st minute when Ash Hewson was shown a yellow card and sin-binned for 10 minutes for a tackle.

The remaining 14 Brumbies held their opposition out for two minutes before Drua capitalised. They utilised a ruck to get them over the line for their second try of the night through Rusila Tamoi, and a subsequent conversion to make it 12-0.

Jay Huriwai lessened the deficit for the Brumbies and crossed in the 64^th minute for the side's first of the night. The scrum-half utilised a quick play of the ball by Tabua Tuinakauvadra, and went herself to power her way through under the posts, setting up Ella Ryan for a conversion in front, 12-7.

Less than 10 minutes later and Drua showed why they are the best in the competition with a 17-7 scoreline. A long lineout from Keleni Marawa near the 22 caught the Brumbies defence off guard. Drua centre Roela Radiniyavuni picked it up and simultaneously found a gap to break the line at speed, before steamrolling through the efforts of the two Brumbies in her path.

The loss leaves the Brumbies in fourth place, just shy of the finals series, with one win, one draw and three losses.

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