SYDNEY - The Fijian Drua condemned the reigning champion Canterbury Crusaders to their worst start since the first season of Super Rugby in 1996 with a 20-10 victory in front of a passionate home crowd in Lautoka on Saturday.

The error-prone Crusaders struggled to deal with the steamy conditions as well as the power and pace of the Drua and slumped to three defeats in three matches in the new Super Rugby Pacific season under new coach Rob Penney.

The Drua defended defiantly and thoroughly deserved their second straight win over the 13-times Super Rugby champions after their victory last season at the same Churchill Park stadium.

"This win is not for us, it's for the fans who always back us up," said Drua captain Meli Derenalagi.

"The last two games we were frustrated and disappointed with two losses. Today the boys were on fire as we defended our turf."

The Crusaders, in a period of transition after the loss of longtime coach Scott Robertson to the All Blacks and flyhalf Richie Mo'unga to Japan, took a 10-0 lead in the 19th minute when Fiji-born winger Sevu Reece crossed for a converted try.

The Drua hit back with a penalty from flyhalf Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula before winger Selestino Ravutaumada finished a typically flamboyant move to send the teams into the break all square at 10-10.

Fiji scrumhalf Frank Lomani, who was outstanding leading the Drua around the park, scored the home side's second try five minutes into the second half and another penalty from Armstrong-Ravula in the 72nd minute made the points safe.

The Drua move on to another tough assignment next week against the Waikato Chiefs, who suffered their first defeat of the season in a 25-19 loss to the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, leaving the Wellington Hurricanes as the only unbeaten side remaining in this year's competition.

The Reds put in a powerful forward display as they scored tries through hooker Matt Faessler, flanker Fraser McReight and centre Josh Flook to record a second victory in three games this campaign.

The Chiefs, who had won 17 of their previous 19 Super Rugby matches, put together 23 phases in a final push for the win, but could not breach the red wall and only managed tries through fullback Josh Ioane and wing Shaun Stevenson.

"I'm over the moon with the boy's effort, I thought we defended really well," Reds centre Isaac Henry said. "The coaching staff have done a great job, I couldn't be prouder."

The Hurricanes brushed aside the absence of the suspended Jordie Barrett to beat the Auckland Blues 29-21 in the New Zealand capital.

Josh Moorby crossed twice in the first half and his fellow winger Kini Naholo scored one try and set up another for Barrett's replacement Riley Higgins after the break.

In Saturday's other match, the ACT Brumbies edged Western Force 22-19 in a bruising encounter in Canberra, overturning a halftime deficit and holding off a late fightback from the Perth-based visitors.

On a balmy evening in Sydney on Friday, the New South Wales Waratahs failed to back up last week's win over the Crusaders when flyhalf Tane Edmed missed a last-minute penalty to hand the Otago Highlanders a 23-21 win.

Earlier, the crisis-hit Melbourne Rebels snatched their second win of what might be their final season with a 29-23 victory over Moana Pasifika in Hamilton.

Moana's Julian Savea scored his 61st Super Rugby try in the losing cause to edge ahead of Israel Folau as the leading try-scorer in the competition's history. REUTERS