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Moana Pasifika confirm signing of Wallabies centurion Sekope Kepu

By Alex McLeod
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Moana Pasifika have unveiled Wallabies centurion Sekope Kepu as the franchise’s eighth signing ahead of their debut Super Rugby Pacific campaign.

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A veteran of 16 years of professional rugby experience, Kepu joins the new expansion side from Counties Manukau after joining the province for the 2021 NPC season.

The Covid-19 outbreak in New Zealand’s northern regions in recent months restricted the 35-year-old to just two appearances for the Steelers before Counties Manukau, as well as Auckland and North Harbour, were omitted from the remainder of the provincial campaign.

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Dave Rennie on whether Quade Cooper will start at No 10 for Wallabies on northern tour

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Dave Rennie on whether Quade Cooper will start at No 10 for Wallabies on northern tour

Nevertheless, Kepu will bring a plethora of experience across all levels of game to Moana Pasifika, including 110 test caps for the Wallabies between 208 and 2019.

Of Tongan descent, Kepu has strong ties to both New Zealand and Australia having been born in Sydney before relocating to Auckland with his family as a youngster.

The Wesley College alumni began his professional career with Counties Manukau in 2006 and was based out of Pukekohe for two seasons before jumping back across the Tasman to take up a Super Rugby contract with the Waratahs in 2008.

That same year, he made his debut for the Wallabies against Italy in Padova and established himself as a mainstay in the green-and-gold jersey.

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During his time in Australia, Kepu played a key role in guiding the Waratahs to their only Super Rugby title to date in 2014 and featured in three World Cups for the Wallabies.

He started at tighthead prop in Australia’s 2015 World Cup final defeat to the All Blacks at Twickenham and played his final international for the Wallabies in their 2019 World Cup pool stage win over Georgia in Shizuoka.

After having announced his retirement in the lead-up the global tournament two years, Kepu ended his test career with one Rugby Championship title, three tests against the British and Irish Lions, six Mandela Challenge Plate wins, three Cook Cup victories and seven James Bevan Trophy successes.

At club and provincial level, Kepu played a solitary match for the New South Wales Country Eagles in Australia’s now-defunct National Rugby Championship in 2018 after having played for Bordeaux in France during the 2015-16 Top 14 season.

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He returned to Europe after the 2019 World Cup to join London Irish in the Premiership, but played just 14 times for the Brentford-based club before returning to New Zealand for personal reasons in February.

Kepu will be joined by former Wallabies teammate Christian Leali’ifano at Moana Pasifika next year after the 34-year-old was named as the franchise’s first-ever signing last Thursday.

Since then, the Aaron Mauger-coached side has confirmed the arrivals of ex-Crusaders halfback Ere Enari, Manu Samoa trio Henry Taefu, Neria Foma’i and Tomasi Alosio, and Tongan internationals Sione Tu’ipulotu and Solomone Funaki.

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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FEATURE Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby? Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?
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