Moana Pasifika’s final home game in New Zealand finished the way too many of their seasons have, narrowly, painfully, and decided by a moment in the dying minutes. The Auckland-based Super Rugby Pacific side went down 33-31 to the Queensland Reds at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with Reds fullback Jock Campbell crossing for the winning try barely two minutes from time.
For Moana Pasifika this was a farewell as much as a fixture. The franchise confirmed in April that it would disband at the end of the 2026 season, the second team after the Melbourne Rebels to fold since Super Rugby Pacific was trimmed from twelve sides to ten. From 2027 the competition will run with ten teams, none of them representing the Pasifika community as Moana have done since 2022.
The crowd at Albany sensed all of that going in. The team performed their tau moana, the haka-style war dance that has become the franchise’s signature, in front of supporters who had carried them through four difficult seasons. Coach Fa’alogo Tana Umaga said in the build-up that it had been “an emotional week, another tough one with all that’s going on”, adding “if we’re here, let’s do it well”, in comments reported by Super Rugby Pacific’s official site.
For an hour it looked like Moana might write the ending themselves. Halfback Augustine Pulu opened the scoring inside the first ten minutes before the Reds settled and ran out to a 21-7 halftime lead through two tries to wing Tim Ryan and one to lock Josh Canham. Treyvon Pritchard stretched the gap to 26-7 early in the second half and the result looked beyond doubt.
Instead, Moana mounted the kind of comeback that had eluded them all season. Loose forward Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa crashed over from close range, a Reds infringement on the line then earned Moana a penalty try, and with the home side suddenly within five points the bench began to believe.
The moment of the match arrived in the 58th minute. Winger Israel Leota collected the ball wide on his flank, beat three defenders down the touchline with the kind of pace that belongs at international level, and grounded under the posts. Patrick Pellegrini’s conversion put Moana ahead for the first time since the opening exchanges, and his subsequent penalty pushed the lead to 31-26.
The Reds responded with composure rather than panic. From a planned scrum move three metres out, Campbell took a swing pass from his halves and stepped through a gap that closed too late. Ben Volavola’s conversion sealed the 33-31 win. Speaking afterwards in comments published by Super Rugby Pacific, Campbell said, “They came home with a wet sail. It was a set play for us, and thankfully it worked.”
Captain Miracle Faiilagi led the post-match acknowledgements. “Want to thank the fans for turning up today,” he said in remarks reported by RNZ Sport. “We thank the Reds for the great battle today.”
Umaga, who has guided the side through their final campaign, said the day had been about something larger than the result. “We would also like to acknowledge all our supporters,” he said. “Hopefully it is not the end, and we still have faith.”
Reds back rower Seru Uru gave one of the more generous opposition speeches in recent memory. “This not the end of the road,” he said. “We wish you guys all the best and thank you for the fighting spirit.”
What happens to Moana Pasifika now is not entirely settled. New Zealand Rugby acknowledged in April that the Pasifika Medical Association, which owns the franchise, could no longer meet the estimated ten to twelve million dollars a year it costs to run the team. NZR has signalled it remains open to rebuilding the side if a new financial backer can be found, but no timeline has been set. The franchise still has away fixtures to play before its formal end, but North Harbour Stadium will not host them again in 2026.
The team finishes its Albany chapter without a finals appearance to show for the season, but with a fan base that travelled in numbers to a side that was already gone in everything but name. That counts for something, even if the scoreboard rarely reflected it. For four seasons Moana Pasifika gave Pasifika players in this country a professional pathway that did not exist before. Whatever follows in 2027 and beyond, that legacy is real.
What do you make of Moana Pasifika’s departure from Super Rugby Pacific, and the prospects of a revival under new ownership? Tell us in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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