Moana Pasifika player ratings vs Blues | Super Rugby Pacific
For the second time in the space of a week, Moana Pasifika and the Blues took the field to fight out the title of ‘best Super Rugby side in Auckland’.
While Moana Pasifika were able to largely keep pace with their opposition at Mt Smart on Tuesday, that wasn’t the case at Eden Park. The visitors may have come out swinging from the kick-off but the Blues pulled away late in the first half and continued to build the margin in the second stanza.
Moana Pasifika will rue some missed opportunities throughout but it was their issues at set-piece time that continued to make it difficult for them to build any ascendency over their opposition.
How did Moana Pasifika rate in the 46-16 defeat?
1. Ezekiel Lindenmuth – 6
It was a weird night at scrum time, with Moana Pasifika looking formidable when not feeding the scrum, but struggling on their own put in. A willing carrier of the ball and defended stoutly. Unlucky to have one try scrubbed out. Off in 62nd minute.
2. Samiuela Moli – 4
Really struggled at lineout time, either missing his man or lobbing the ball completely over the top (though perhaps that was a tactic). Picked up some good metres on attack but somehow managed just one tackle throughout the contest. Threw a dodgy skip pass that Bryce Heem plucked out of the air which eventually resulted in the Blues’ second try. Off in 52nd minute.
3. Sekope Kepu – 5
Similar situation to Lindenmuth, it was hard to tell who had the dominant scrum for the first 60 minutes but Moana Pasifika dropped off in a big way once Kepu left the park. Off in 52nd minute.
4. Veikoso Poloniati – 5
Fell off a few tackles but put his hand up to cart the ball forward on attack. One good pick-and-go near the line and then an offload to Tomasi Alosio gave Moana Pasifika their first try. Copped two penalties. Off in 68th minute.
5. Alex McRobbie – 6.5
The key man in the lineout for Moana Pasifika – things didn’t always function well but McRobbie was a safe option at all times. Made a nice half-break during Moana Pasifika’s first attacking skirmish. Certainly looks to be worth of starting regularly.
6. Sione Tuipulotu – 4
Challenged at the breakdown but drifted in and out of the match, not making a big impact on either side of the ball. Off in 46th minute.
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7. Solomone Funaki – 6
Put in some nice hits on defence and ran some great lines in the wider channels. Secured two breakdown penalties early in the first 30 minutes. Copped two himself towards the end of the first half for illegal play at the maul and was probably lucky to remain on the pitch. Incurred another one for the same offence at the beginning of the second spell.
8. Henry Time-Stowers – 7
His power running game wasn’t as prominent as we’ve become accustomed to but still churned through the most metres out of any Moana Pasifika player on the field as well as topping the tackle count. An important figure for the Pacific Islanders.
9. Ereatara Enari – 5
One poor box-kick effectively handed the Blues their first opportunity points of the game by putting his teammates in an offside position. That aside, looked relatively sharp early on but some inaccuracy crept into his game as the match wore on. Off in 74th minute.
10. Christian Lealiifano – 6.5
Showed good incisiveness at first receiver, taking on the line for some solid yardage. Threw an intercept pass early in the second half then tried to pilfer the ball at the ensuing ruck to make amends but instead conceded a penalty. Kicked all his goals and generally still looks capable of playing at this level.
11. Timoci Tavatavanawai – 6
His attacking abilities were on full display in the final half-hour but one drop with the line begging will haunt him. One nice steal from a kick-off. Earned one breakdown penalty too. Slipped on defence, giving Heem an easy run to the line. Off in 52nd minute.
12. Solomone Kata – 6.5
Generally the most damaging Moana Pasifika player with ball in hand, chalking up meters with every carry regardless of the attention he received. Knocked the ball on cold from a scrum.
13. Nigel Ah Wong – 5
Did well to snare the ball from a kick-off. Busy on defence, less so on attack. Off in 68th minute.
14. Tomasi Alosio – 6
Scored a well-taken try running off the shoulder of his lock. Started to get more involved as the game wore on and made one nice break down the right wing, only to be taken out by a Caleb Clarke charge down.
15. William Havili – 5.5
Perhaps his most composed display at this level. Mixed his kicking and his running game well and looks to be growing into his role.
Reserves:
16. Luteru Tolai
On in 52nd minute. Better delivery at the lineout than the man he replaced.
17. Abraham Pole – 4.5
On in 62nd minute. Busy on defence. Unsurprisingly struggled against the might of Ofa Tuungafasi late in the piece.
18. Chris Apoua – 4
On in 52nd minute. Same issues as his fellow reserve prop.
19. Mahroni Ngakuru – N/A
On in 68th minute for his debut.
20. Alamanda Motuga – 5
On in 46th minute. Knocked the ball on with his first carry when Moana Pasifika were just five metres out from the try line. Made one nice break down the left-hand sideline.
21. Dwayne Polataivao – N/A
Off in 74th minute.
22. Lincoln McClutchie – N/A
On in 68th minute. Made one nice wee break.
23. Fine Anisi – 4
On in 52nd minute. Couldn’t get involved in the same way as the man he replaced.
Comments on RugbyPass
It was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
5 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to comments