It’s the end of the road for Moana Pasifika, but the team leaves behind a lesson in resilience for the next generation of brown excellence.
When the final whistle blows on Moana Pasifika’s Super Rugby voyage this evening, the vibrant colours of the Pacific will fade to grey, the cheehoos will be drowned out by tones of despair and a feeling of hope will be lost.
Still, just for a moment, let’s boot into touch any talk about what this franchise could have been. Let’s put aside the failures of the system, the financial and logistical shortcomings, and the poor on-field results. Let’s, instead, celebrate Moana Pasifika’s five-year run inspiring a community that stretches from Apia to Nuku’alofa to south Auckland and to the Pacific diaspora far beyond.
If I was to describe this franchise in one word, it would be “resilient”. That resilience will go on. The next generation of brown excellence will have clocked what Moana has done and, you would hope, will go on to mirror the team’s tenacity in refusing to ever give up, no matter the obstacles in front of them.
This isn’t just about rugby. For a community that’s long experienced health and educational inequities in New Zealand – and have extra challenges right now as families struggle to make ends meet during a rolling cost of living crisis – rugby is a vehicle that gives them strength.
Moana Pasifika has been a rock for their people, fighting their own battles to prove they belong. It’s a battle that’s familiar to so many of us.
Covid-19 disrupted Moana’s first season, with a series of postponements forcing the team to play six games in 21 days in order to catch up. What did Moana do? Showed up valiantly every time.
Neither of the team’s bases at Mt Smart or North Harbour Stadium ever truly felt like home, as they shared the venues with other Auckland sports teams, but the franchise made it work.
Player turnover and limited access to marquee signings affected their results, with several rising talents leaving to pursue All Black dreams. But there were also players who got shots at professional rugby, with Semisi Tupou Tae’iloa and Miracle Fai’ilagi becoming household names. They got to learn from established names who wanted to give back to their community – Sekope Kepu, Christian Leali’ifano, Julian Savea and coaches Aaron Mauger and Fa’alogo Tana Umaga.
Moana Pasifika’s continued optimism, as they navigated obstacles, has provided comfort to a community that’s constantly dealing with the harsh realities of the world. The team showed us that even though life has its struggles, there can be light at the end of the tunnel if you have faith.
Moana has created a high performance environment that has allowed Pasifika athletes to be, unapologetically, themselves, embedded by cultural and spiritual values that can’t be taught in a boardroom.
It’s been a delight to follow the team’s social media, watching the players walk out of the tunnel with a large speaker in tow before training, drumming a rubbish bin in jubilation following a win and singing hymns, the latter serving as a reminder that this brotherhood is bounded by prayer.
When the team culture is so strong that the most influential figure in New Zealand rugby, Ardie Savea, joins your team after being named the best player in the world, then you’ve done something right.
Once the final whistle blows this evening, the future of the players and staff will feel bleak and a community without one of its lights. Although, if this team’s existence has proved anything, it’s that even a sliver of hope can be a powerful thing – maybe there’s still a saviour who can keep them afloat?
Until then, fa’afetai lava – thank you, Moana Pasifika, for the legacy and the hope.
