Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa: The making of Super Rugby's wrecking ball

Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa was born and raised in Mangere, South Auckland and is of Tongan and Samoan heritage. Yet he made his professional rugby breakthrough in Southland via the Otago Boys’ High School First XV between 2018 and 2020.

Struggling to crack the Otago senior system, he moved to Invercargill and debuted for the Stags in the NPC in a 15-15 draw against Northland in 2023. The explosive loose forward played 295 minutes in his first season and nearly doubled that in 2024, which caught the eye of Moana Pasikifa.

With his ferocious approach, he made 13 appearances for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby Pacific 2025, playing 943 minutes, the most on the team. He scored seven tries, including touchdowns in the wins over the Hurricanes (40-31), Waratahs (45-28), and Fijian Drua (34-15). He led Super Rugby Pacific in carries (205) and was named Moana Pasifika Rookie of the Year and Best Defensive Player, making 137 of 150 possible tackles.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

4

Draws

0

Wins

1

Average Points scored

36

20

First try wins

80%

Home team wins

80%

Moana Pasifika have only won two of 18 away games against New Zealand teams in Super Rugby Pacific as they prepare to face the Blues at Eden Park on Sunday. In the last four of those games, they have conceded an average of 64 points per game. Last Friday, they were overpowered by the Chiefs 57-24 in Hamilton, but Tupou Ta’eiloa was exceptional with two tries and led Moana in tackles (16), carries (15), and meters gained (115). Tupou Ta’eiloa is just as adept on the road as at home, a lesson he learned the hard way as a teenager.

“My parents, Sione and Anelia, are typical Islanders, hard workers in a factory. When I was 12, Dad, who’d previously lived in Oamaru, decided I should experience life away from home. He’d heard about how great Otago Boys was and sent me there,” recalled Tupou Ta’eiloa with RugbyPass.

“I didn’t know anyone in the South Island until my cousin Tevita Asi turned up.  It was cold; they spoke with a strange accent.

“Bro, Otago Boys’ did so much for me. They’re passionate about academics and sports and still have that cheeky banter Islanders like. We won the Otago final all three years I played. Games against Southland Boys’ were battles for the ages. In 2021, we won the final after an unreal drop goal from Finn Hurley.

“I got into the Otago Academy but couldn’t get a crack. Southland gave me a plan and built my confidence. I’ll always be grateful for the belief they showed in me.”

A try he scored for Otago Boys against John McGlashan College in 2020, which went viral, showed why Southland was interested in Tupou Ta’eiloa. He fended off nine tackles in a length-of-the-field stampede.

Fast forward to August 31, 2025, and Tupou Ta’eiloa was arguably the best player on the field in one of the most rousing underdog Ranfurly Shield victories of all time. Southland stunned Waikato, featuring four All Blacks – Anton Lienert-Brown, Luke Jacobson, Ollie Norris, and Samipeni Finau, 25-10. Tupou Ta’eiloa scored a try and made a heroic 17 carries and 19 tackles in a classic Hamilton heist.

“I’m still buzzing about that,” Tupou Ta’eiloa laughed.

The Moana Pasifika buzz after a stunning first-round 40-26 win over Fijian Drua at Churchill Park in Lautoka, which snapped the hosts’ nine-game home winning streak at the venue, has fizzled out. Moana have lost their last three games, conceding 144 points.

If there is a fixture to raise the hackles, it is the Blues. After five consecutive defeats to a side that is essentially a geographical neighbour, Moana upset the Blues 27-21 at North Harbour Stadium on May 13, 2025. Kyren Taumoefolau, now with the Chiefs, scored three tries. Former captain and All Blacks centurion Ardie Savea had 44 touches, 21 carries for 90 metres, beat five defenders, made four offloads, had a clean break and a linebreak assist, made nine tackles, and won three turnovers in one of the greatest individual performances of all time.

“I didn’t know Superman was going to play for us that day,” quipped Tupou Ta’eiloa.

“There is always an extra edge and great vibe in the crowd when we play the Blues.

“We’re not proud of our last three performances. The Chiefs’ game was tough. We started slow, and that set the tone for the rest of the game. We need to get the Blues down quicker, guard space better, and our cleaners need to be more aggressive. Those are things we can control.”

“My goal is to front up every week and do my role. I’m not looking too far ahead.”