 | ||
| Union | New Zealand Rugby | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2020; 6 years ago (2020) | |
| Ground | North Harbour Stadium (Capacity: 14,000) | |
| Coach | Tana Umaga | |
| Captain | Miracle Faiʻilagi | |
| Mostcaps | William Havili (49) | |
| Top scorer | Christian Leali'ifano (146) | |
| Most tries | Miracle Faiʻilagi (14) | |
| League | Super Rugby Pacific | |
| 2025 | 7th overall | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| moanapasifika | ||
Moana Pasifika is a professionalrugby union team based inNew Zealand and made up of players from variousPacific Island nations as well as New Zealand or Australian born players ofPasifika heritage, includingFiji,Samoa,Tonga and theCook Islands who play in theSuper Rugby Pacific competition. Many of its players representTonga andSamoa at the international level, while it also includes current and formerAll Blacks such as brothersArdie andJulian Savea.
The team was originally created for a one-off match against theMāori All Blacks in December 2020, with the future intention of trying to join theSuper Rugby competition.
Moana Pasifika were granted a conditional licence and subsequently an unconditional licence in April and July 2021 respectively, to join theSuper Rugby competition.[1][2]
The team played its inaugural Super Rugby match on 4 March 2022.
On 24 November 2020, Moana Pasifika coachTana 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 theMāori All Blacks atWaikato Stadium. Captained bySydney bornSamoan internationalMichael Alaalatoa the side lost to the Māori 28–21.
Following the conclusion of the2020 Super Rugby season, the licences for the South AfricanSuper Rugby sides (theBulls, theLions, theSharks and theStormers), the ArgentineJaguares and the JapaneseSunwolves all expired.[5] The2021 Super Rugby season, still affected by theCOVID-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 the2017 Super Rugby season. However, from 2022 onwards a new 12-team tournament had been mooted, and on 13 November 2020, theNew Zealand Rugby Union announced Moana Pasifika, along with theFijian 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 byWorld 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 joinSuper Rugby in 2022 by theNew Zealand Rugby Union.[1]
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 inSuper Rugby for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, beginning with the2022 Super Rugby Pacific season.[9]
In September it was announced that Moana Pasifika would be based inSouth Auckland,Auckland Region, and would play their fixtures atMt Smart Stadium until 2028.[10]Dynasty Sport was announced as the supplier for the team's on-field kit.[11]Aaron Mauger was then announced as the first coach of the team on 30 September 2021.[12]
On 15 November 2021, the schedule for the2022 Super Rugby Pacific season was announced, with Moana Pasifika's inaugural match scheduled to be played against theBrumbies in Auckland.[13]
On 2 February 2022,Sekope Kepu was named as the inaugural captain of the Moana Pasifika franchise.[14]
Changes to the playing schedule due toCOVID-19 protocols meant Moana Pasifika played its inauguralSuper Rugby game on 4 March 2022, a 12–33 loss to theCrusaders. In that historic game,loose forwardSolomone Funaki scored the franchise's first ever try.[15] Three weeks later, Moana Pasifika won its first Super Rugby game against theHurricanes at Mt Smart Stadium, winning 24–19.[16]
On 9 November 2023,Tom Savage was named in the squad for the2024 Super Rugby Pacific season.[17] He's the onlyEuropean to play and then captain the team.[18]
On 21 July 2024, Moana Pasifika announced the signing ofAll Blacks forwardArdie Savea, which was considered by many to be the most significant player transfer inSuper Rugby history.[19]
The Moana Pasifika team was established to represent all of the Pacific Islands and provide a high-level professional pathway for players primarily able to representSamoa andTonga, and their respective national representative sides, as well as other Pacific Island nations.[20]
Although based in New Zealand, Moana Pasifika do not represent any New Zealandprovincial unions as is the case with the otherNew Zealand based Super Rugby teams but instead recruit players from across thePacific Region, including New Zealand and Australia. The team is primarily composed of players based in or with ancestral ties to the Pacific Islands; largelySamoan andTongan players but also of other Pacific heritage, including but not limited toFijian,Māori andCook Islands Māori.
The team draws on players from various teams that participate in semi-professional or amateur competitions in Pacific Island countries such as theDatec Cup Provincial Championship,Samoa National Provincial Championship and theSkipper Cup, or represents one of its served nations national rugby union side or sevens side. Many of the players who represent Moana Pasifika also play their rugby in New Zealand or Australia in competitions such as theNational Provincial Championship,Heartland Championship,Queensland Premier Rugby orShute Shield.[21]
AlthoughNew Zealand Rugby granted Moana Pasifika the licence for them to join the Super Rugby Pacific competition, the club is not owned or operated by, and is not directly affiliated with New Zealand Rugby, as is the case with the other New Zealand-based teams.[22] The club was established and wholly owned by a charitable trust, the Moana Pasifika Charitable Trust. In 2021,World Rugby approved a funding package for a period of three years to support the establishment and operation of both theFijian Drua and Moana Pasifika, worth £1.2m annually, shared between the two teams. The two new teams were also to be supported by their respective national unions and private equity funding.[23]Sport New Zealand provided significant funding for Moana Pasifika in order to underwrite the franchise and cover additional operating costs for a period of four years.[24]
In 2024, majority ownership of the club was sold to the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Group, which previously held a minority stake in the club. The deal included sponsorship and a partnership that would provide infrastructure and support around communications, events management, and a facility for the team's training and events.[25][26]
While ideally basing the team in a Pacific Island nation (i.e. Samoa or Tonga), the proposal put forward for the formation of the franchise outlined that basing the team in New Zealand during at least its formative years would be a more logistically feasible and viable option.[20][27][28][29][30]
Moana Pasifika announced in September 2021 that they had signed an agreement to base their operations and play their home games atMount Smart Stadium for the duration of the 2022–2028 seasons.[30][10] After the first two rounds of Moana Pasifika's debut season were postponed due to aCOVID-19 outbreak within the team, and after having to play what should have been their debutSuper Rugby home match inDunedin, they eventually hosted their first home game at Mount Smart Stadium inRound 5 of the2022 competition, against theChiefs.
Round 8 of the2023 season saw a historic game against theReds hosted atApia Park,Apia[31] – the second ever Super Rugby game to be played in Samoa after theBlues hosted the Reds at the same stadium in 2017.[32]
The2024Round 3 game against theRebels was relocated toWaikato Stadium due to turf issues at the original venue,[33] while the team's solitary match against the Blues inRound 6 was played atEden Park and treated as a home game for both teams, both being based in the Auckland area.[34][35] Additionally, theRound 8 fixture versus the Reds was played atSemenoff Stadium,Whangārei.[35] Moana Pasifika hosted the first Super Rugby game to be played in Tonga inRound 11, taking on theHighlanders atTeufaiva Stadium,Nuku'alofa.[36]
In September 2024, it was announced that Moana Pasifika would makeNorth Harbour Stadium its full-time home, with home games to be hosted at the venue from 2025,[37] cutting short its tenure at Mount Smart Stadium.
In2025 Moana Pasifika'sRound 6 clash against the Chiefs, originally scheduled to be played in Nuku'alofa, was relocated toNavigation Homes Stadium inPukekohe, owing to "a number of logistical challenges" and health concerns in hosting the match in Tonga at the time.[38][39] TheRound 10 match against theBrumbies was also played at the venue, as originally scheduled.[40]
| Albany | Penrose | Apia | Nuku'alofa | Pukekohe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Harbour Stadium | Mount Smart Stadium | Apia Park | Teufaiva Stadium | Navigation Homes Stadium |
| Capacity: 14,000 | Capacity: 25,000 | Capacity: 12,000 | Capacity: 10,000 | Capacity: 12,000 |
 |  |
Moana Pasifika have fielded an U20 development team in Super Rugby U20 since 2023[41] and also competed in the inaugural edition of theOceania Rugby Under 20s Challenge in 2024.[42] As with the senior Super Rugby side, the squad is selected from across thePacific Region, including New Zealand, and is composed of the best emerging age-grade rugby talent either based in or with ancestral ties to the Pacific Islands – players of Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, Māori, Cook Islands Māori,Nieuan,Ni-Vanuatu andTokelauan heritage have featured to date.[43][44]
A season-by-season summary of Moana Pasifika's regular season results is shown below:[45]
| Super Rugby Pacific |
| Season | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | BP | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 12th | 14 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 267 | 514 | -247 | 2 | 10 | |
| 2023 | 12th | 14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 354 | 610 | -256 | 4 | 8 | |
| 2024 | 11th | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 265 | 485 | -220 | 2 | 18 | |
| 2025 | 7th | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 405 | 544 | -139 | 4 | 28 |
Moana Pasifika Super Rugby results vs different opponents[1]
| Super Rugby | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition | Span | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win% | |||||||
 Blues | 2022–2025 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 16.7% | |||||||
| Chiefs | 2022–2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0.0% | |||||||
| Crusaders | 2022–2025 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 20.0% | |||||||
| Highlanders | 2022–2025 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 16.7% | |||||||
| Hurricanes | 2022–2025 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 28.6% | |||||||
 Brumbies | 2022–2025 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25.0% | |||||||
| Force | 2022–2025 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25.0% | |||||||
| Rebels | 2022–2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.0% | |||||||
| Reds | 2022–2025 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25.0% | |||||||
| Waratahs | 2022–2025 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75.0% | |||||||
 Fijian Drua | 2022–2025 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 33.3% | |||||||
| Overall | 2022–2025 | 56 | 13 | 0 | 43 | 23.2% | |||||||
| Updated to:1 June 2025 | |||||||||||||
The squad for the2026 Super Rugby Pacific season is:[46][a]
| Moana Pasifika Super Rugby squad | ||
|---|---|---|
Props Hookers Locks | Loose forwards
Halfbacks (scrum-halves) First five-eighths(fly-halves) | Midfielders (centres) Outside backs |
|
| 2020 Moana Pasifika squad for match vs. Māori All Blacks[3][4] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Props Hookers Locks | Loose forwards Scrum-halves Fly-halves | Centres Wingers Fullbacks
| |||||||
Sekope Kepu (2022-2023)
James Lay (2024)Ardie Savea (2025)Miracle Fai'ilagi (2026)The following coaching team was appointed for the2025 Super Rugby Pacific season:[48]
| 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 |
| Coach | Period | G | W | D | L | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Mauger | 2022-2023 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 010.71 |
| Tana Umaga | 2024–present | 28 | 10 | 0 | 18 | 035.71 |
| Totals (2022–present)* | 56 | 13 | 0 | 43 | 023.21 | |
| Updated to:1 June 2025 | ||||||
Notes:
Moana Pasifika squad announcement 2024 was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).| Teams |
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| Super 12 seasons | |||||
| Super 14 seasons | |||||
| Super Rugby seasons | |||||
| Super Rugby Pacific seasons | |||||
| Super Rugby finals | |||||
| Player transfers | |||||
| Regionalised competitions | |||||
