Glen Jackson: rugby’s Renaissance man takes the helm of the Fijian Drua

By Canadian Press on February 22, 2025.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — More than anyone in Super Rugby, Glen Jackson has been there, done that and got the T-shirt.

The 49-year-old New Zealander played 60 Super Rugby matches at flyhalf and scored more than 470 points for the Hamilton-based Chiefs.

He went on to referee more than 100 first class matches, including 88 Super Rugby matches — one final — and 32 tests. He was an assistant coach of the Fiji team which reached the quarterfinals of last year’s Rugby World Cup and is now head coach of the Fijian Drua in Super Rugby.

That range of experience makes Jackson Super Rugby’s most prominent polymath or Renaissance man.

For Jackson, each step of his career has informed the next. He retired as a player aged 34 and within a year became a professional referee. He retired from refereeing in 2019 and began the following year as an assistant to then Fiji coach Vern Cotter.

Knowledge gained as a player made Jackson a better referee and refereeing lent perspective to his coaching.

DEPTH AND DISCIPLINE

That acquired knowledge was evident in the way Jackson tackled the problems of indiscipline which contributed to the Drua’s 36-32 first-up loss to the ACT Brumbies. The Dura incurred two yellow cards in that match which were factors in an narrow loss.

In Saturday’s 38-34 loss to the Hurricanes, the Drua conceded only eight penalties while the Hurricanes conceded 12 and received two yellow cards.

The Hurricanes match also was a testament to the Drua’s depth. Jackson made 13 changes to his lineup and still went within minutes of beating the Hurricanes at home.

In naming his squad for the season, Jackson said “it’s a very well-balanced side”.

“We haven’t lost many players from last year and the ones that we’ve brought in have experience, mostly from overseas. So we’ve got a good balance in what still is a very young team.”

AN ABUNDANCE OF TALENT

The challenges Jackson faces this season are unlikely to include a lack of talent, rather the opposite. He has had to find a way to incorporate the extraordinary amount of talent Fiji produces into a winning combination.

The Drua squad includes numerous players who have played for Fiji, including prop Peni Ravai who has 50 test caps and co-captains Frank Lomani and Tevita Ikanivere. Lomani is the Drua’s most-capped player.

The Fiji sevens system, which has produced two Olympic gold medals, is a particularly rich resource for Jackson to draw on.

“There are some pretty good sevens players floating around who I would love to see put on the Drua jersey in the future,” he said. “I’m very open and I find it very important that all the teams in Fiji work openly and well together.”

WINNING ON THE ROAD

The loss to the Hurricanes was a heart-breaker for the Drua who are now 0-2 for the season. It was an extraordinary 11-try thriller played out in extreme heat and decided in the final minute. The Drua now go on to Sydney to play the New South Wales Waratahs who are 1-0 after a 37-36 win over the Highlanders and a second round bye.

They will host the Chiefs in round four and face the Brumbies again in round five, meaning they will have played semifinalists from last season in four of this season’s first five rounds.

Jackson’s task now is to keep his team’s heads up after two narrow losses and, if possible, to find the key to winning on the road.

“I think the biggest focus is making sure that this team has the belief, that its growing and making sure that we understand that on the road is something that we are focused on,” he said.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Steve Mcmorran, The Associated Press

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