Moana Pasifika

Last updated

Moana Pasifika
Moana Pasifika logo.jpg
Union New Zealand Rugby
Founded2020;4 years ago (2020)
Ground(s) North Harbour Stadium
(Capacity: 14,000)
Coach(es) Tana Umaga
Captain(s) James Lay
League(s) Super Rugby Pacific
2024 11th overall
Kit left arm goldborder.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm goldborder.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Team kit
Official website
moanapasifika.co.nz

Moana Pasifika is a rugby union team made up of players from various Pacific Island nations as well as New Zealand or Australian born players of Pasifika heritage, including Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands.

Contents

The team was originally created for a one-off match against the Māori All Blacks in December 2020, with the future intention of trying to join the Super Rugby competition.

On 14 April 2021, New Zealand Rugby confirmed the side had been granted a conditional licence to join the Super Rugby competition. [1]

On 12 July 2021, the team was granted an unconditional licence, confirming them for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season. [2]

The team played its inaugural Super Rugby match on 4 March 2022.

History

On 24 November 2020, Moana Pasifika coach Tana Umaga named a 26-man squad for the match against the Māori All Blacks on 5 December 2020. [3] [4] The team was made up of New Zealand-based players who were international or sevens capped by a Pacific team or identified with a Pacific region. On 5 December 2020, the team played their first match, against the Māori All Blacks at Waikato Stadium. Captained by Sydney born Samoan international Michael Alaalatoa the side lost to the Māori 28–21.

Super Rugby

Following the conclusion of the 2020 Super Rugby season, the licences for the South African Super Rugby sides (the Bulls, the Lions, the Sharks and the Stormers), the Argentine Jaguares and the Japanese Sunwolves all expired. [5] The 2021 Super Rugby season, still affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, was played in two regionalised tournaments featuring the five New Zealand Super Rugby sides and the four Australian Super Rugby sides, plus the Western Force who had returned to the tournament having lost their licence at the end of the 2017 Super Rugby season. However, from 2022 onwards a new 12-team tournament had been mooted, and on 13 November 2020, the New Zealand Rugby Union announced Moana Pasifika, along with the Fijian Drua as its preferred partners to join the competition. [6] Further steps were made in March 2021, when the New Zealand Rugby Union agreed to a sharing of broadcast revenue with both Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua, [7] and this was followed later in the same month by World Rugby announcing financial, high performance and administrative support for both potential new sides, in order to boost the performances of Pacific Islands at international level, while also being able to stay local instead of heading overseas. [8]

On 14 April 2021, both sides were granted conditional licenses to join Super Rugby in 2022 by the New Zealand Rugby Union. [9]

On 12 July 2021, the team were granted an unconditional licence, confirming them for the 2022 Super Rugby season. [2]

On 30 August 2021, the side was confirmed in Super Rugby for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, beginning with the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season. [10]

Moana Pasifika will be based in South Auckland, Auckland Region, and will play their fixtures at Mt Smart Stadium until 2028. [11] On the following day, Dynasty Sport was announced as the supplier for the team's on-field kit. [12] Aaron Mauger was then announced as the first coach of the team on 30 September 2021. [13]

On 15 November 2021, the schedule for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season was announced, with Moana Pasifika's inaugural match against the Brumbies in Auckland. [14]

On 2 February 2022, Sekope Kepu was named as the inaugural captain of the Moana Pasifika franchise. [15]

Moana Pasifika played its inaugural Super Rugby game on 4 March 2022, a 12–33 loss to the Crusaders. In that historic game, loose forward Solomone Funaki scored the franchise's first ever try. [16] 3 weeks later, Moana Pasifika won its first Super Rugby game against the Hurricanes at Mt Smart Stadium, winning 24–19. [17]

Current squad

The squad for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season is: [18]

Moana Pasifika Super Rugby squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Loose forwards

Halfbacks (scrum-halves)

First five-eighths (fly-halves)

Midfielders (centres)

Outside backs

  • (c) denotes team captain.
  • Bold denotes internationally capped.

    Coaching staff

    The following coaching team was appointed for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season: [19]

    NameTitle
    Flag of New Zealand.svg Tana Umaga Head coach
    Flag of New Zealand.svg Tom CoventryAssistant coach
    Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Stephen Jones Backs coach
    Flag of Tonga.svg Pauliasi Manu Scrum coach
    Flag of New Zealand.svg Alando Soakai Defence coach
    Flag of Samoa.svg Seilala Mapusua Skills coach

    Past players

    See also

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Rugby</span> Rugby union club competition

    Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the Super 12 in the 1996 season with 12 teams from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, building on competitions dating back to the South Pacific Championship in 1986. The Super 12 was established by SANZAR after the sport became professional in 1995. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the competition to split into three, the reformed competition in 2021 only included teams from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Sekope Kepu</span> Rugby player

    Sekope Kepu is a retired Australian professional rugby union player. He is a prop and last played for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby in 2024. He has previously played for Australian club New South Wales Waratahs, the French club Bordeaux, and London Irish. He also plays for Australia's Wallabies in international matches. Kepu made his international debut for Australia in 2008 and has been a regular in match-day squads ever since, now having played over 100 tests. Kepu is the most-capped prop to ever play for the Wallabies and is also one of the most-capped rugby players in history.

    Lolagi Visinia is a rugby union player, who currently plays as a wing or fullback for Auckland in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition. He was born and raised in New Zealand, but has represented both New Zealand and Manu Samoa internationally.

    Ereatara Enari is a rugby union player, who currently plays as a halfback for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby and for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition. He was born and raised in New Zealand, but has represented Manu Samoa internationally, for which he is eligible due to his Samoan heritage.

    The Fijian Drua is a professional rugby union team based in Fiji that competes in the Super Rugby. The team was created by the Fiji Rugby Union and launched in August 2017, shortly before the 2017 National Rugby Championship. The team previously competed in the Australian National Rugby Championship competition between 2017 and 2019, when the tournament was disbanded.

    Marino Mikaele-Tu'u is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a loose forward for Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars in the Japan Rugby League One competition.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicester Fainga'anuku</span> New Zealand rugby union player

    Leicester Ofa Ki Wales Twickenham Fainga’anuku is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a wing for Toulon in the French Top 14. He previously played for Tasman in the National Provincial Championship and the Crusaders in Super Rugby. He has represented New Zealand internationally.

    Danny Toala is a professional rugby union player, who currently plays as a midfield back or fullback for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby and for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition. He was born and raised in New Zealand, but has represented Manu Samoa internationally, for which he is eligible due to his Samoan heritage.

    The 2021 Super Rugby season was the 26th season of Super Rugby, an annual men's international rugby union tournament organised by SANZAAR, involving teams from Australia and New Zealand. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the tournament was wholly regionalised, with the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season and the 2021 Super Rugby AU season replacing the previous 15 side format used from 2018 till 2020. Super Rugby Trans-Tasman followed these tournaments, a crossover competition that featured the five Australian sides playing the five New Zealand sides.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Counties Manukau (National Provincial Championship)</span> New Zealand rugby union team

    Counties Manukau are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Pukekohe, New Zealand. The union was originally established in 1955, with the National Provincial Championship established in 1976. They now play in the reformed National Provincial Championship competition. They play their home games at Navigation Homes Stadium in Pukekohe in the Auckland region. The team is affiliated with the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise. Their home playing colours are black, white and red.

    Sosefo Losino 'Apikotoa is a rugby union player, who currently plays as a prop for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition and for Anthem Rugby Carolina in Major League Rugby (MLR). He previously played for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby. He was born and raised in New Zealand, but represents Tonga internationally, for which he is eligible due to his Tongan descent.

    Alamanda Lolo Motuga is a professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Super Rugby club Moana Pasifika. Born in New Zealand, he represents Samoa at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.

    Neria Fomai is a rugby union player, who currently plays as a centre or wing for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition and for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby. He was born and raised in New Zealand, but has represented Manu Samoa – for which he is eligible due to his Samoan heritage – both in the fifteen-a-side form of the game and rugby sevens.

    The 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season is the 27th season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the previous seasons were replaced with Super Rugby Unlocked, Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU in 2020, and Super Rugby Aotearoa, Super Rugby AU, and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman in 2021. The 2022 edition will revert to a 12-team competition, with a single pool replacing the geographical conference system, as well as introducing a new name for the reformatted competition. The season is expected to run from 18 February, with the final to be played on 18 June - culminating before the start of the mid-year international window.

    'Api Kakalaia Solomone Funaki is a Tongan rugby union player, who currently plays as a loose forward for Dragons RFC in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Challenge Cup. He previously played for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby and Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition. He represents Tonga internationally.

    The 2023 Super Rugby Pacific Season is the 28th season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and a combined team from Samoa, Tonga and other Pacific Island nations. The defending champions are the Crusaders, who won their 11th title in 2022.

    References

    1. ↑ "Next steps in Pacific Island professional teams journey confirmed by NZ Rugby" (Press release). All Blacks. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
    2. 1 2 "Moana Pasifika granted unconditional licence". Super Rugby NZ. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
    3. 1 2 "Tana Umaga names experienced Moana Pasifika squad". rnz.co.nz. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
    4. 1 2 "Moana Pasifika names side to face Māori All Blacks". allblacks.com. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
    5. ↑ "Reports: Super Rugby set for 12 from 2022". SA Rugby Magazine. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
    6. ↑ "New Zealand Rugby confirms Fiji Rugby & Moana Pasifika as preferred partners". New Zealand Rugby. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
    7. ↑ "Super Rugby: Moana Pasifika, Fiji poised for 2022 inclusion as NZ Rugby shares broadcast revenue". Stuff.co.nz. 9 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
    8. ↑ "World Rugby to support Pacific Islands Super Rugby ambitions". World Rugby. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
    9. ↑ "Next steps in Pacific Island professional teams journey confirmed by NZ Rugby". All Blacks. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
    10. ↑ "Super Rugby Pacific format confirmed". Super Rugby NZ. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
    11. ↑ "Super Rugby: Moana Pasifika lays down roots at Mt Smart Stadium". Stuff.co.nz. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
    12. ↑ Zealand, Dynasty Sport | New (29 September 2021). "Dynasty Sport Partners with Moana Pasifika to Make Rugby History". Dynasty Sport | New Zealand. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
    13. ↑ "New Moana Pasifika coach Aaron Mauger signals intent to sign best young talent before NZ teams". Stuff.co.nz. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
    14. ↑ "Match schedule for Super Rugby Pacific revealed". SANZAAR. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
    15. ↑ "Sekope Kepu named Moana Pasifika Captain". Moana Pasifika. 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
    16. ↑ "Moana Pasifika make Crusaders fight for win in historic Super Rugby debut". Stuff NZ. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
    17. ↑ "Moana Pasifika beat Hurricanes for 1st Super Rugby win". AP. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
    18. ↑ "Moana Pasifika name squad for 2025". Moana Pasifika (Press release). 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
    19. ↑ "Toaigaotumua Tom Coventry & Stephen Jones Complete Moana Pasifika Coaching Staff" (Press release). Moana Pasifika. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.