Cruel circumstances dictated this was never going to be the happy homecoming Moana Pasifika envisioned.
Their debut season was supposed to open one month ago in a different climate; with the first Auckland derby against the Blues.
In another time, another world, the Mt Smart Stadium stands would haveharnessed a sea of colour and vibrancy in an occasion to celebrate a long-held Pacific rugby dream.
The chance to embrace that moment is, unfortunately, consigned to 'what might have been' territory.
Moana Pasifika's campaign instead began in separate Queenstown hotel rooms after Covid infiltrated their squad before flying south. Quite the contrast, indeed.
After eventually emerging out the other side of that setback, Moana were blindsided from all angles which included three false starts as Covid swept through their Kiwi rivals.
They managed one match, a committed effort in the 33-12 loss to the Crusaders in Dunedin two weeks ago, prior to Saturday's outing against the heavily-weakened Chiefs.
The barren Mt Smart stands due to ongoing crowd restrictions painted a bleak picture for Moana's first home match. The result was no cause for celebration, either.
It's a scene that accurately depicts the mounting challenges facing the remainder of Moana's season.
A large degree of sympathy exists for everything Moana Pasifika have dealt with to date. From severely compromised preparation to a squad overflowing with rookies, odds were stacked against them from the get go.
After two defeats against two second-string New Zealand teams, though, the sizable development gap is already evident. Conceding nine tries to this Chiefs team is a worrying sign.
Emoni Narawa of the Chiefs fends off a tackler during the win over Moana Pasifika. Photo / Getty
Moana Pasifika boast some talented prospects. No 8 Henry Time-Stowers is power personified with ball in hand and on defence. Levi Aumua and Danny Toala's midfield combination is worth watching; wing Neria Fomai a born finisher. And in Ere Enari and Lincoln McClutchie, Moana have a halves pairing they can build a team around.
At present, though, it's not a fair fight. Not even close.
The Chiefs started this match with 17 players unavailable, including All Blacks Sam Cane, Luke Jacobson, Samisoni Taukei'aho, Anton Lienert-Brown, Angus Ta'avao and Josh Lord.
Yet they brought one-test playmaker Josh Ioane off the bench. The sight of All Blacks locks Brodie Retallick and Tupou Vaa'i running rampant at the breakdown and in broken play exposed just how far off the pace Moana could be this season – against the New Zealand teams at least.
Their poor discipline was hugely costly against the Chiefs and their set piece was barely functional. Accumulating pressure and points in those circumstances is impossible.
When the Chiefs moved from second to third gear in the second half, Moana's spirited defence could not handle the form New Zealand side.
With three midweek make-up games to come, it won't get any easier for Moana Pasifika. Such a schedule is ruthless for any team let alone a start-up attempting to find their feet against established opposition.
As defeats inevitably mount in the coming weeks, Moana Pasifika's culture will need to remain resilient to keep heads aloft. At least the two best New Zealand sides are in the rear-view mirror.
The glimmer of hope on the horizon looms in the form of transtasman matches against vastly inferior Australian opposition.
Without doubt fellow new entrants the Fijian Drua are savouring the easier route by setting up camp in Australia. They have proven a welcome addition by knocking over the Rebels, while pushing the Reds and Force to the brink, with their inherent brand of unstructured chaos.
Measuring success for Moana Pasifika won't be straightforward this season. There's plenty more lessons to come.
Realistically, one upset victory would be treasured. Draw a circle around the Rebels, and start working towards that aim.
