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We knew they were sinking but now it’s official, as the top teams prepare for the Super Rugby playoffs, Moana Pasifika is dead in the water.
Pukekohe’s Frank Bunce agrees that this is a damn shame. The former All Black and Manu Samoa centre says Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua created invaluable pathways for Pacific Island players. Those pathways are now more limited.
“It’s been about opening doorways for more Pasifika boys to compete and not just in New Zealand, in Japan and Europe as well. It gave more of them a chance to show their skills in a way they couldn’t do before then.”
As they’ve been anchored to the bottom of the 2026 Super Rugby table, the North Shore-based franchise could be easily dismissed as a failure. However, being told there would be no next season halfway through this one probably didn’t help.
Former Papakura local Kieran Read agrees, as previously reported in the Times.
While the Fijian Drua are wooden spoon runners-up this year, the team was in the hunt for a top six spot for most of the season, but having home games in Fiji has ensured there’s been plenty of bums on seats.
In this respect – more so than fearless and daring, although often failed and losing, efforts – that Moana has been out of its depth.
The squad was originally based at Mount Smart, not a million miles from the largest pacific island population in the world, in south Auckland. But a move to North Harbour, it seems, proved a bridge too far for fans.
Bunce, who knows about the fanbase north of the bridge (having represented North Harbour) agrees.
“The Drua is working, great for the Fijian boys. Moana Pasifica, not so much,” he says. “They never really settled [at Albany].”
If a phoenix is to rise from Moana’s ashes, it must be in the south (of Auckland).
“If it was done right, but there are many issues in Super Rugby,” Bunce adds. “To make it work, we need to sort our own backyard, so I can’t see it happening in the near future.”
Earlier this year, Moana Pasifika head coach, Tana Umaga (who’s quite familiar with Pukekohe) said his team did not feel welcome in the Blues region. I think his team sure as hell would’ve been made welcome here.
If Counties could have its own Super Rugby franchise it would draw from the (arguably) deepest and most talented pool of players in the world.
