Moana Pasifika name 'strongest team available' for Highlanders clash
Moana Pasifika head coach Aaron Mauger has named “the strongest team available” for his side’s Super Rugby Pacific clash against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Friday.
The bottom-of-the-table encounter comes after Moana Pasifika were forced to weather yet another Covid storm as they played back-to-back matches against the Blues in the space of four days last week.
During that time, the new expansion franchise were without numerous players, as well as Mauger and assistant coach Filo Tiatia, due to Covid protocols, which led to consecutive defeats against their cross-town rivals.
However, Mauger is eager to bounce back from those losses by notching a win against the only winless team in the competition.
“They’ve been playing some really good rugby,” Mauger said of the Highlanders, the team he coached for three seasons before being released by the franchise in 2020, on Wednesday.
“I thought their performance against the Crusaders was really strong. Their set piece has been firing all year. They’ve been really strong in that area, put a lot of pressure on opposition ball.
“The Highlanders, they’re a good team. They played tough, they played tight, and we’re seeing all those things. Just things haven’t quite gone their way to get the results, and they’ll be hungry Friday night. We’re aware of that, but we’re hungry as well.”
In order to satisfy his side’s hunger, Mauger has made seven changes to the starting Moana Pasifika lineup that were beaten 46-16 by the Blues at Eden Park last Saturday.
First-choice midfielders Danny Toala and Levi Aumua are reinstated into the backline at the expense of Solomone Kata and Nigel Ah Wong, while Tomasi Alosio’s concussion protocols have allowed Tima Fainga’anuku to start on the right wing.
In the pack, ex-Blues hooker Luteru Tolai replaces Tongan international Sam Moli at No 2, while lock Sam Slade fills in for Alex McRobbie in the second row.
A rejig in the loose forwards sees ‘Ikale Tahi flanker Solomone Funaki move from openside to blindside in place of international teammate Sione Tu’ipulotu, with Manu Samoa representative Alamanda Motuga coming into the No 7 jersey.
The only other change in the starting team comes at No 8, where Samoan international Henry Time-Stowers is replaced by Penitoa Finau.
Moli and Tu’ipulotu have dropped to the bench, where they are two of three new faces alongside Manu Samoa halfback Jonathan Taumateine, who returns to the match day side in place of Dwayne Polataivao.
Mauger believes the side he has picked to face the Highlanders is the best possible team he could have rolled out against the Dunedin-based franchise as they look for their second-ever win after stunning the Hurricanes a fortnight ago.
“We’ve picked the best team, the strongest team, available to us this week,” Mauger said.
“We believe that we can go and compete with any team in this competition when we get it right. What we are learning is we haven’t quite got it right for long enough periods so far.
“Even the Hurricanes game, which was just an outstanding occasion for us, it could have gone either way, so for us to be serious about getting more outcomes, it’s about being more consistent throughout the 80 minutes.
“If we were to look at our last performance, it’s good that our boys were disappointed. They were gutted with the performance because we didn’t offer our best against the Blues.
“We weren’t patient enough, we weren’t disciplined enough around executing our game – the little things, the basics within our game – for longer periods, but we know that when we do that for long periods, we can put anybody under pressure and ultimately come away with the outcome.
“That’s the challenge and that’s been a big focus for this week, is putting it in for 80 minutes.”
Mauger wouldn’t be drawn into commenting on whether he feels this weekend’s match is something of a grudge match given his unceremonious exit from the Highlanders following an underwhelming campaign two years ago.
Instead, the former All Blacks five-eighth said he was looking forward to returning to his Dunedin-based family after having moved to Auckland to take up his role with Moana Pasifika in January.
“Excited, mate,” Mauger said of the prospect of heading down south on Thursday.
“My family’s there, so get to spend a couple of nights in my bed. Haven’t slept in that bed since January 2, when I left Dunedin, so certainly looking forward to that and waking up having breakfast with my kids and just being a dad at home for a couple of days, obviously between rugby duties.
“I’m excited. I’ll be coming in hot from the game on Friday night.”
Kick-off for Friday’s clash between Moana Pasifika and the Highlanders is scheduled for 7:05pm.
Moana Pasifika team to face Highlanders
1. Ezekiel Lindenmuth
2. Luteru Tolai
3. Sekope Kepu (c)
4. Veikoso Poloniati
5. Sam Slade
6. Solomone Funaki
7. Alamanda Motuga
8. Penitoa Finau
9. Ereatara Enari
10. Christian Leali’ifano
11. Timoci Tavatavanawai
12. Danny Toala
13. Levi Aumua
14. Tima Fainga’anuku
15. William Havili
Reserves
16. Sam Moli
17. Abraham Pole
18. Chris Apoua
19. Mahonri Ngakuru
20. Sione Tu’ipulotu
21. Jonathan Taumateine
22. Lincoln McClutchie
23. Fine Inisi
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
26 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
26 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
26 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
26 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
26 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments