# Moana Pasifika

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 who play in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. Many of its players represent Tonga and Samoa at the international level, while it also includes current and former All Blacks such as Ardie Savea and Julian Savea.
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.
On 12 July 2021, the team was granted an unconditional licence, confirming them for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season.
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. 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. 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. 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, 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.
On 14 April 2021, both sides were granted conditional licenses to join Super Rugby in 2022 by the New Zealand Rugby Union.
On 12 July 2021, the team were granted an unconditional licence, confirming them for the 2022 Super Rugby season.
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.
In September it was announced that Moana Pasifika would be based in South Auckland, Auckland Region, and would play their fixtures at Mt Smart Stadium until 2028. Dynasty Sport was announced as the supplier for the team's on-field kit. Aaron Mauger was then announced as the first coach of the team on 30 September 2021.
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.
On 2 February 2022, Sekope Kepu was named as the inaugural captain of the Moana Pasifika franchise.
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. Three weeks later, Moana Pasifika won its first Super Rugby game against the Hurricanes at Mt Smart Stadium, winning 24–19.
On 21 July 2024, Moana Pasifika announced the signing of All Blacks forward Ardie Savea, which was considered by many to be the most significant player transfer in Super Rugby history.
In September 2024, it was announced that Moana Pasifika would make North Harbour Stadium its fulltime home, with home games to be hosted at the venue in 2025.

## Current squad

The squad for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season is:
| Moana Pasifika Super Rugby squad |
| Props Chris Apoua Pone Fa'amausili James Lay Sione Mafileo Abraham Pole Tito Tuipulotu Feleti Sae-Ta'ufo'ou $^{ST}$ Hookers Tomasi Maka Sama Malolo Sam Moli Mills Sanerivi $^{ST}$ Locks Allan Craig Michael Curry Tom Savage Sam Slade Ofa Tauatevalu Ola Tauelangi | Loose forwards Miracle Faiʻilagi Sione Havili Talitui Lotu Inisi Alamanda Motuga Semisi Paea Irie Papuni Ardie Savea (c) Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa $^{ST}$ Halfbacks (scrum-halves) Aisea Halo Melani Matavao Jonathan Taumateine First five-eighths (fly-halves) Jackson Garden-Bachop William Havili Patrick Pellegrini | Midfielders (centres) Solomon Alaimalo Fine Inisi Lalomilo Lalomilo Julian Savea Outside backs Losi Filipo Neria Fomai Tevita Ofa Pepesana Patafilo Kyren Taumoefolau Danny Toala Tuna Tuitama |
| (c) denotes team captain. Bold denotes internationally capped. $^{ST}$ denotes a short-term signing. denotes a player ruled out for the season with injury. 1 2 Fomai was named in the original Moana Pasifika squad, but was ruled out for the season with injury in January 2025. 1 2 Ofa wasn't named in the original Moana Pasifika squad, but was announced as signing as an injury replacement in January 2025. 1 2 3 4 Sae-Ta'ufo'ou, Sanerivi and Tupou Ta'eiloa were not named in the original Moana Pasifika squad, but were announced in the side for Round 1. |

### Coaching staff

The following coaching team was appointed for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season:
| Name | Title |
| Tana Umaga | Head coach |
| Tom Coventry | Assistant coach |
| Stephen Jones | Backs coach |
| Pauliasi Manu | Scrum coach |
| Alando Soakai | Defence coach |
| Seilala Mapusua | Skills coach |

## Past players

    2020 Moana Pasifika squad for match vs. Māori All Blacks The squad for the match vs. Māori All Blacks was:   Props Michael Alaalatoa (c) Jordan Lay Daniel Lienert-Brown Sione Mafileo Hookers Leni Apisai Samisoni Taukei'aho Locks Naitoa Ah Kuoi Gerard Cowley-Tuioti Samipeni Finau Zane Kapeli   Loose forwards Nasi Manu Marino Mikaele-Tu'u Alamanda Motuga Pita Gus Sowakula Scrum-halves Folau Fakatava Dwayne Polataivao Fly-halves Josh Ioane Stephen Perofeta   Centres Vince Aso Leicester Fainga'anuku Fetuli Paea Wingers Tomasi Alosio Jone Macilai-Tori Salesi Rayasi Asaeli Tikoirotuma Fullbacks Etene Nanai-Seturo (c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped.