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71 - 0

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45 - 22

33 - 12

WOMENS

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HSBC SVNS World Championship 2026
Hong Kong

Thursday

12:00

Friday

00:05

Friday

02:35

Friday

10:00

Friday

10:30

Friday

10:30

Friday

10:30

Friday

10:30

Friday

10:30

Friday

11:45

Friday

11:45

Friday

11:45

Friday

11:45

Friday

12:00

Friday

15:15

Friday

18:00

Super Rugby Pacific

Moana Pasifika announce exit from Super Rugby following 2026 season

By Ned Lester

2 hours ago

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - FEBRUARY 27: Moana Pasifika gather after the loss during the round three Super Rugby match between Moana Pasifika and the Western Force at Navigation Homes Stadium, Pukekohe on February 27, 2026, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

Moana Pasifika have announced that 2026 will be the club’s final year competing in Super Rugby Pacific. The announcement was made on Wednesday morning, five years after the club’s debut in the competition.

A statement from the club described the decision as “heartbreaking”, with the disbandment of its Super Rugby operations affecting 60 players and staff members, as well as the broader Pasifika community.

“This decision comes after extensive consideration of the financial, operational, and strategic realities facing the franchise as well as professional rugby in New Zealand. Despite the tireless dedication of players, staff, and supporters, it is no longer viable to continue the franchise at this level of competition,” Wednesday’s press release read.

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Established in 2020 and joining Super Rugby in 2022, with the competition rebranding to lean into its revamped ‘Pacific’ identity, Moana Pasifika won two games in their opening season and proceeded to improve their results in each of their four season heading into 2026.

By the 2025 season, which saw All Blacks star Ardie Savea arrive at the club, Moana Pasifika was competing for a maiden playoff berth with a record of six wins and eight losses.

The club said they will “provide support” for all staff and players moving forward, with Savea among those contracted for the 2027 season.

“This is one of the hardest decisions we have ever made,” Moana Pasifika Chair, Dr Kiki Maoate said. “We are immensely proud of our players, staff, and the community who have supported our team over the years.

“Across our rugby, pathways and community programmes, we have been able to support a growing hub of Pacific talent across multiple sporting codes, both locally and in the Pacific region. This is something we are extremely proud of and will continue to support and advocate for as best we can.

“Our commitment now is to ensure a smooth transition for everyone affected and to celebrate our legacy by finishing the season strong.”

The team’s 2026 captain, Miracle Faiilagi, is one of the club’s big success stories, stepping straight from Samoa onto the Super Rugby stage and blossoming into one of the competition’s premier loose forwards. Head coach Tana Umaga, who was set to depart the club at season’s end to join Dave Rennie’s new All Blacks coaching group regardless of the club’s fate, had expanded the club’s pre-season trial program to identify more young Pasifika talent and give them a shot at making the step up to professional rugby.

“We acknowledge our loyal fans for standing by us through the highs and lows – your support has meant everything to us, especially our players. We ask that you stand by your team today,” Dr Maoate added.

“Our story has been one of resilience – not just as a franchise, but as Pacific people. While this will be devastating news to process, we continue to look ahead and navigate these next steps together, just as our people always have.”

Comments

5 Comments

BleedRed&Black 41 mins ago

Super Rugby governance just can’t seem to pick winners. Primarily because they keep going for “New Market” development rather than exploiting and developing existing structures.

Of the original 12 teams, all 12 are still operating 30 years later. All other than the Crusaders and Chiefs have had major financial issues, but they are still here because they are supported by their national unions.

Of the 8 created since, 5 have collapsed, Kings, Jaguares, Sunwolves, Rebels and now MP, while the Cheetahs are only semi-pro.

Western Force are sustained by a billionaire, have never been competitive, and will probably collapse soon after the Perth Bears NRL start next year.

The Drua have a massive Fiji government subsidy to keep them going. They are probably financially viable long term, but will never be competitive because they lose their top talent to Europe/Japan and can’t handle winter rugby.

SR needs to go full season, 20 to 24 rounds, giving the teams the commercial footprint to sustain themselves. Just like the rest of the pro rugby world. And league. No more “New Market” idiocy.

AR have add to restart SR AU because their players aren’t getting enough game time. Which is insane after 30 years.

Given that NZ’s SR teams are now supporting 38 full time and 12 part time players each, and NZR have had to create a B team comp to give all those players game time, NZR has to ask themselves if spreading that massive wage cost over 6 or 7 teams would extract more value, while also creating a bridge to professionalism for the better teams in the NPC.

Either that or accept 30 to 40 percent of those players sitting on the sidelines each week, generating no revenue or interest.

Given that expansion has failed catastrophically, yet again, maybe they should try maximisation, and expanding the number of games amongst existing teams and look for new teams where they are viable, as in the top of the NPC, and do what everyone has been doing for decades.

PickOllieMathisOrKeepLosing,Rob. 1 hr ago

What inspires pasifika kids more?

Watching Moana pasifika getting hammered every week or watching pasifika star players dominating rugby league every week?

John Breslin 1 hr ago

Terrible. Just terrible

A global health crisis put the world on hold for 2020/21 and WR opened the cheque book to protect tier one nations

Could we all not chip in and help a team out?

Are the games core values not about spreading the word and growing the sport? How many young kids would have been fully onboard and turning up for those home games?

Fiji back to being asset stripped again

BR 58 mins ago

It’s not the Drua it’s Moana.. two different teams.

PickOllieMathisOrKeepLosing,Rob. 1 hr ago

I think it’s just the fact it costs 10-12 million a year to run a team and no one has the cash.

If it was me, I’d rebrand them as Moana Pasifika Tyrannosaurs.

That’s 10 million a year in Tyrannosaurus Rex merch/jerseys/toys a year at least, not to mention every kid in the worlds loyalty for life.

But, no one asks me.

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