1
‘Get what you deserve’: Tana Umaga leads Moana Pasifika’s 2024 playoffs push
With legendary All Black Tana Umaga steering the ship as head coach, Moana Pasifika are setting their sights on a maiden playoff berth ahead of their third Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
ADVERTISEMENT
Moana Pasifika claimed headline-grabbing wins over the Hurricanes, Brumbies and Waratahs during their first two seasons, but the Pasifika side has otherwise struggled for consistency.
Beating the Tahs in Sydney was a shining light at the end of an otherwise difficult season this year, with Moana finishing at the bottom of the pile.
But Moana have made some impressive moves in the off-season. They’ve assembled a world-class coaching group of Tana Umaga, former Wales playmaker Stephen Jones, and ex-Blues assistant Tom Coventry – and that’s just the start.
Wing Julian Savea – affectionally labelled ‘The Bus’ during the height of his career with the All Blacks – headlines a talented playing group too, which includes prop Sekope Kepu, Chrisitan Lealiifano and Danny Toala.
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about where Moana Pasifika are going as a team, and for coach Umaga, that means setting the bar at a first-ever trip to the knockout rounds.
“We want to win more than one game,” Umaga said, as reported by Stuff.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We want to get off the bottom. I’m not big at making massive goals in terms of openly.
“I believe we can challenge for the top eight. There are only four teams that miss out, so we want to challenge for that area.
“But if we can keep working week by week, get that one win and then we can hopefully put something together.
“That’s what we can aim for because at the minute we haven’t shown anything that says we deserve anything more.
ADVERTISEMENT
“You get what you deserve and you get what you work for and we’ve shown that we can work, be as competitive as we can and hopefully we can tip some teams over.”
Moana Pasifika have brought 19 new players into their squad ahead of the 2024 season, with a number of their recruits impressing in New Zealand’s NPC and over in Europe.
In another big tick, the same number of players donned their countries’ colours at the Rugby World Cup in France. But as Umaga discussed, the hunt for finals footy is still “not going to be easy.”
“It’s up to us as coaches to try to develop them and tailor the learning to suit them, to make sure we’re doing everything we can so they can progress in our game,” Umaga added.
“If it was easy everyone would be doing it, so we’ve got to make sure we’re efficient with our time and what we’re teaching, but we’ve got a group that’s keen.
“That’s the main thing, they’re energised to make the most of this opportunity and I’ve let them know in no uncertain terms that this is an opportunity and it’s up to them to take that with both hands. Don’t just be comfortable about being here, because you’ve achieved the goal of becoming a professional rugby player.
“You get that the day you sign, but to sustain yourself in this game and vocation it’s about hard work.
“Some do get comfortable and we’ll have to manage them though. Keep on them, to make sure they make the most of this opportunity.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Kok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
84 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
2 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
5 Go to comments