Report: Ex-Highlanders head coach set for Moana Pasifika job
Former Highlanders boss Aaron Mauger is reportedly set to be confirmed as the inaugural Moana Pasifika head coach.
According to RNZ, New Zealand Rugby [NZR] is set to announce the Super Rugby expansion franchise will be given the green light to compete in next year’s revamped edition of the competition on Monday.
The report comes three months after NZR granted conditional licences to Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua to join a 12-team version of Super Rugby, which will also feature 10 existing franchises from New Zealand and Australia.
The licences were issued to Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua provided that they prove their financial viability and Rugby Australia [RA] signs off of their addition to the competition.
It was expected both teams would be confirmed to compete in next year’s Super Rugby by the end of June, but complications over the tournament’s format has led to a delay of that announcement.
However, RNZ reports confirmation of Moana Pasifika’s inclusion is set to be announced on Monday, which will allow the franchise to begin player recruitment for its debut season in Super Rugby.
Moana Pasifika’s off-field recruitment drive has reportedly already begun, though, as, according to RNZ, Monday’s announcement will also unveil Mauger as the franchise’s first-ever full-time head coach.
The former All Blacks five-eighth, who is of Samoan and Cook Islander descent, was part of the Moana Pasifika coaching set-up for last year’s one-off clash against the Maori All Blacks and has plenty of experience to his name.
After first entering the realm of professional coaching as Crusaders assistant coach in 2013, Mauger was appointed as Leicester Tigers head coach in 2015.
It was at Welford Road where the 40-year-old won the now-defunct Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2017, the same year of which he departed England to replace Tony Brown as Highlanders head coach ahead of the 2018 Super Rugby season.
Mauger struggled for results during his three-year tenure at the helm of the Dunedin-based franchise as he accrued just 20 wins from 48 matches between 2018 and 2020.
The Highlanders opted against renewing the 46-test international’s contract beyond last year, leaving Mauger to take up coaching and mentoring roles at John McGlashan College.
All Blacks assistant coach Brad Mooar has hinted that another upheaval of players could be in the offing for a third straight week ahead of this Saturday’s clash with Fiji in Hamilton. #NZLvFIJ #AllBlacks https://t.co/WuLgd4bVJw
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 12, 2021
Mauger also acts as a coaching advisor to Kaikorai in the Dunedin club competition, while he also has international coaching experience as Manu Samoa assistant coach in 2017.
RNZ reports former All Blacks loose forward Filo Tiatia will also be announced as Mauger’s assistant coach on Monday.
It comes just months after Tiatia resigned from his role as Auckland assistant coach amid a breakdown of relationships between players and coaches at the provincial union.
Tiatia, the older brother of ex-Manu Samoa hooker Ace, has almost a decade-and-a-half of professional coaching experience in New Zealand, Japan and Wales.
In addition to his previous role with Auckland, the 50-year-old has also acted as an assistant coach for United Rugby Championship (formerly PRO14) club Ospreys, Top League side Toyota Verblitz, axed Super Rugby franchise, the Sunwolves, and the Japan national side.
As a head coach, Tiatia, who played two tests for the All Blacks in 2000, took charge of Toyota Verblitz between 2012 and 2015 and the Sunwolves in 2017.
It remains unclear whether Monday’s reported announcement will provide an update on the admission status of the Fijian Drua, which is in talks with numerous private investors and is receiving funds from the Australian government.
A decision on the format of next year’s Super Rugby, meanwhile, is expected in the near future as Stuff reports NZR is open to RA’s request for an eight-team play-offs structure, which would follow a singular round-robin regular season.
Such a set-up would ensure at least one Australian team will participate in the post-season, which would alleviate concerns from RA about a lopsided competition following New Zealand’s dominance in this year’s Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to comments