Tana Umaga suggests 'news' could come during Moana Pasifika bye week

Moana Pasifika head coach and newly named All Blacks assistant Tana Umaga has suggested that some “news” could be publicised this week, as they head into what could be their final two Super Rugby Pacific games as a franchise.

Umaga’s comment came after a heavy 50-17 defeat at North Harbour Stadium against the Hurricanes, their eleventh straight loss in Super Rugby Pacific, with their last victory coming in round one where they overcame the Fijian Drua, 40-26.

On Saturday evening in Auckland, it was a tale of Moana Pasifika’s season, putting their opposition under pressure through strong carries and brutal defence in the first half, despite trailing 19-5 at halftime.

Umaga, who spoke to media post-defeat on Saturday, looked towards captain Miracle Fai’ilagi with a wry smile and briefly suggested that the club may have an update during this week’s bye period.

“Yeah, no, it wasn’t a pleasing result, but we’ll lick our wounds, and we’ve got the bye after this, so hopefully we just go back and refresh and we might hear some news, see how we’re going,” Umaga said on Saturday evening.

“So, yeah, no, I think you need to take your hat off to the Hurricanes as well.  They keep backing themselves in this weather and we thought the weather might slow them down a little bit.

“I think we had our moments but just like every week, as we probably sit here and it’s just around those moments, and stacking them, and sometimes we study up ourselves with the errors we make, that’s probably a side that’s trying hard, but just sometimes we’re trying too much, just trusting what we do and what we do at training and get on the same page.”

Moana Pasifika Chair, Dr Kiki Maoate, said during the week of the announcement that the priority now is to help players and staff members through this time.

“This is one of the hardest decisions we have ever made. We are immensely proud of our players, staff, and the community who have supported our team over the years,” Maoate said in a Moana Pasifika statement in April.

“Across our rugby, pathways and community programmes, we have been able to support a growing hub of Pacific talent across multiple sporting codes, both locally and in the Pacific region. This is something we are extremely proud of and will continue to support and advocate for as best we can.

“Our commitment now is to ensure a smooth transition for everyone affected and to celebrate our legacy by finishing the season strong.”