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Moana Pasifika sign Hurricanes duo to add experience to squad

By Alex McLeod
(Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Moana Pasifika added talent and experience to their inaugural playing squad by signing two Hurricanes stars ahead of next year’s Super Rugby Pacific.

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In the 10th wave of player announcements released by the new expansion franchise, Hawke’s Bay duo Danny Toala and Lolagi Visinia have been unveiled as the team’s newest arrivals.

Both players arrive from the Hurricanes, the Wellington-based franchise they played for in this year’s Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.

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In the case of Toala, the move brings an end to his three-season spell with the Hurricanes, who he signed with as a teenager ahead of the 2019 Super Rugby season.

During his time at Sky Stadium, the 22-year-old utility back – who is of Samoan heritage and can play second-five or fullback – has had limited chances to showcase his talents that made him a schoolboy sensation at Hastings Boys’ High School.

In total, Toala played just four times for the Hurricanes, including a solitary appearance off the bench in the team’s final match of the season against the Reds in June.

However, the highly-touted former New Zealand Schools and New Zealand U20 representative has featured regularly for Hawke’s Bay since his Magpies debut in his first year out of school in 2018.

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All in all, Toala has represented Hawke’s Bay 28 times, mostly starting at second-five, and has played a key role in the side’s success in recent years.

That includes retaining and defending the Ranfurly Shield since last year, winning the 2020 NPC Championship division and sitting atop the current NPC Premiership table.

Toala has shared his success at Hawke’s Bay with Visinia, who joined the province and the Hurricanes after returning to New Zealand from overseas last year.

In his 10th year as a professional player, Visinia – of Samoan descent – will provide Moana Pasifika with plenty of experience from two separate Super Rugby stints, a spell in France and a campaign in Japan.

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Like Toala, Visinia is an ex-New Zealand Schools and New Zealand U20 representative who began his career with Auckland in his first year out of Kelston Boys’ High School in 2012.

Formerly regarded as one of the top schoolboy players in the country, the 28-year-old made his Super Rugby debut for the Blues the following year, but left for greener pastures at the end of 2016 after struggling to impose himself in New Zealand.

With 33 Blues caps and 40 Auckland appearances to his name, Visinia signed with French club Grenoble, who he helped win promotion from the second-tier Pro D2 to the Top 14 during his two-year stay.

The winger then moved to Japan to join the NEC Green Rockets ahead of the 2020 Top League season, but was confined to just five appearances for the club due the outbreak of Covid-19.

That resulted in a move back to New Zealand last year as he signed with Hawke’s Bay, helping the Magpies win the Ranfurly Shield and the NPC Championship with five tries in 11 matches.

Visinia’s efforts earned him a contract with the Hurricanes for this year’s Super Rugby campaign, but, similarly to Toala, opportunities were hard to come by as his only appearance for the franchise came off the bench against the Melbourne Rebels.

Toala and Visinia will be joined at Moana Pasifika by a number of their Hawke’s Bay teammates, including first-five Lincoln McClutchie, halfback Ere Enari, flanker Solomone Funaki and wing Neria Foma’i.

Confirmed Moana Pasifika signings for 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

Props: Sekope Kepu (Counties Manukau)

Hookers: N/A

Locks: Don Lolo (Taieri), Mike McKee (Southland), Veikoso Poloniati (Manawatu)

Loose Forwards: Solomone Funaki (Hawke’s Bay), Lotu Inisi (North Harbour), Jack Lam (Waikato), Alamanda Motuga (Counties Manukau), Henry Time-Stowers (Canterbury), Sione Tu’ipulotu (Auckland)

Halfbacks: Ereatara Enari (Crusaders)

First-Fives: Christian Leali’ifano (NTT Communications Shining Arcs), Lincoln McClutchie (Hawke’s Bay)

Midfielders: Fine Inisi (North Harbour), Henry Taefu (Western Force), Danny Toala (Hurricanes)

Outside Backs: Tomasi Alosio (Wellington), Neria Foma’i (Hawke’s Bay), Lolagi Visinia (Hurricanes)

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J
Jon 2 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”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 5 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.

25 Go to comments
A
Adrian 7 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

25 Go to comments
T
Trevor 10 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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