Moana Pasifika will run out at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday night carrying more than just the weight of a 10-match losing streak. The Auckland-based Super Rugby Pacific franchise is staring at the prospect of being disbanded at the end of this season, and the strain of that uncertainty is reaching deep into the playing group.
Halfback Augustine Pulu, who has spent his career championing Pasifika rugby, said this week the hardest part of the current crisis is watching younger team-mates try to absorb news that their professional future may be ripped away within months.
“That’s what really breaks my heart, seeing the young guys breaking down into tears,” Pulu told reporters this week, before adding that the squad refuses to feel sorry for itself. “They’re still fighting for it. … We’re resilient in what we do and we’re going to carry on giving back as much as we can.”
His coach Tana Umaga, the former All Blacks captain who took the Moana job in part because of what the team represents to Pacific communities across Auckland and beyond, used similar language. “These things hang over us quite heavy,” Umaga said. “There’s a little bit of light, a glimmer of hope.” Speaking about the matches still in front of his side, Umaga added, “We don’t want to go out on our backs. We want to make sure we’re walking proud in everything we do.”
Moana Pasifika announced earlier this season that the franchise will conclude its Super Rugby chapter at the end of 2026, citing financial pressures on owners the Pasifika Medical Association. Running the side is understood to cost between 10 million and 12 million dollars a year, and the PMA has signalled it cannot continue funding the operation beyond this campaign.
New Zealand Rugby is exploring whether other interests can take the franchise on. Chairperson David Kirk has been blunt about the limits of what the union can do. “You can’t fight reality if they are financially unable to continue,” Kirk said this week. “We have to work with them to have a managed off-ramp.”
A Pacific-led consortium called Kanaloa Rugby has publicly stated it has the funding, the plan and the people to take the franchise forward. Kanaloa chief executive Tracy Atiga has accused decision makers of obstructing a buyout, while the PMA has put the responsibility back on NZ Rugby. A separate steering group of Pasifika rugby figures, understood to include Sir Michael Jones and Tana Umaga and supported by the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association, is also pushing to find a path that keeps the team alive.
For Pulu, Umaga and the squad, that political tug-of-war is happening alongside training and travel. The team has come home to Auckland to prepare for the Hurricanes, the current leaders of Super Rugby Pacific. The visitors are coming off a tight 38-31 win over the Crusaders in Wellington, and head coach Clark Laidlaw has named seven changes to his starting side, with flanker Du’Plessis Kirifi captaining the team.
Moana Pasifika captain Miracle Faiilagi will lead the home side, with Augustine Pulu starting at halfback inside William Havili. Tuna Tuitama and Solomon Alaimalo combine in the midfield, while veteran prop Atu Moli starts in the front row.
The home crowd at North Harbour Stadium will be aware that Saturday could end up being one of the last opportunities to watch this version of the team in front of an Auckland audience. Moana Pasifika still have home matches scheduled in the regular season, but if the franchise ends up being formally wound up after the final whistle of their last fixture, those crowds become part of a goodbye rather than a continuation.
It is a strange position for any professional sports team. The players still have to chase a result against a side that has lost only twice all season. Coaches still have to plan, set lineouts and rehearse defensive systems. Younger members of the squad are weighing whether to wait for clarity or chase contracts elsewhere before the music stops. Older heads are doing what they can to hold the room together.
The wider stakes go beyond Saturday night. RNZ has reported the disbanding as a dark day for Pacific rugby, with implications for the development pathway and visibility of Pasifika players in New Zealand’s professional game. NZ Rugby and the PMA are continuing to talk to interested parties, but no public deadline has been set for a resolution.
For now, Umaga, Pulu and the rest of the squad will run out on Saturday with the same job they have always had, which is to play for the jersey, the communities behind the jersey, and a future that is no longer guaranteed.
Kick-off at North Harbour Stadium is 7.05pm on Saturday.
What does Moana Pasifika mean to you, and what do you think can be done to keep the franchise alive? Share your thoughts 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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