After having their first two matches of the Super Rugby Pacific season postponed due to Covid-19, Moana Pasifika were set to make waves – one way or another.
Making their inaugural appearance against the defending-champion Crusaders, who had already posted double-digit wins over the Hurricanes and Highlanders, many had predictedthe newcomers to be on the wrong end of a walloping.
Instead, Moana Pasifika announced themselves to the competition as a team the rest of their opponents need to be wary of.
Yes, a quick glimpse at the final 33-12 score in favour of the Crusaders can tell one story, but it's not the most accurate. Moana Pasifika were up for the challenge, meeting the Crusaders in the middle and testing the defending champions.
"The Crusaders are a team that can punish you but we kept coming back and showing up for each other, and I think the language that we used out there, we spoke about it all week – being courageous as a group and doing it for our families and our people, and I thought we showed that in parts of the game," Moana Pasifika captain Sekope Kepu said after the game.
"I was proud of the lads and the way they fronted up. They kind of knew what to expect and I thought we stuck at it for the full 80."
Moana Pasifika set the tone early through their defence, fending away several promising Crusaders attacks before ultimately scoring the first points through blindside flanker Solomone Funaki, who popped up out wide to finish a great move through the hands.
Despite just having 37 per cent of the ball, Moana Pasifika tested the Crusaders across the park – particularly in the physical battle up front.
They were tested regularly, but Moana Pasifika were up to the majority of the questions posed to them by a Crusaders attack whose plan was clear.
"It was clearly the Crusaders' plan to try and gas us," coach Aaron Mauger said. "They knew we had been locked up for 12 days; we've only really had three intensity trainings since we came out and were just trying to manage our workloads. So, on the back of that, it was a pretty outstanding performance."
With their first appearance in Super Rugby Pacific under their belts – and the debuts of 11 players – Moana Pasifika have shown that after a two-decade long fight to get to a position to field a Super Rugby team, they could do some damage sooner rather than later.
