'Competitive culture': Tana Umaga on what makes Moana Pasifika succeed

Moana Pasifika’s season started with three straight losses, but now, after three wins out of their last four games, things look bright over on the North Shore.

This time, it was a come-from-behind victory at home against the Waratahs, as the second-half flurry of tries was the difference.

Moana Pasifika spent the week working towards another positive performance, especially after a historic victory last weekend against the Crusaders.

Moana Pasifika’s first five Jackson Garden-Bachop was quick to tell his team that you don’t win the competition with back-to-back wins, saying that they have to keep improving.

“It definitely wasn’t always pretty, but we got the job done. That’s a good sign when you don’t play the way that you want to for eighty minutes but you can still come away with a win.

“So let’s enjoy each other’s company tonight. But man, you don’t win a competition from just two back-to-back wins,” Garden-Bachop said on the club’s Instagram post.

For Moana Pasifika head coach Tana Umaga, it’s another proud moment for his side, in a season where they have showed continuous improvement.

“We just talked about focusing on ourselves as Ardie talked about nailing our jobs at the set piece, doing the little things right. We felt that the Waratahs were just living off, our errors and our discipline,” Umaga told media post-match at North Harbour Stadium.

“So if we could look after our own jobs and what we do, then we knew we could come back. We’ve shown it before that we do like to come back in the second half.

“When the energisers came on, they brought the energy and I thought they made a massive impact on us going forward. You saw the energy lift when they came on, that’s what we expect from them.

“They really brought us home, which was crucial for us.”

Moana Pasifika captain Ardie Savea has also praised his side’s bench impact, admitting that without the substitutes, the home side wouldn’t have got the job done.

“Very proud of the boys and I thought the impact the boys that came on just added a bit extra in our game and they nailed their job,” Savea said to media after the match at North Harbour Stadium.

“So that’s what we want and that’s what we need. I am very proud of the boys for searching like that towards the end and get the job done.”

Savea talked about his side’s squad depth, which has been tested at times this season with the tough schedule and pace of the game.

“There’s still a few players that haven’t had a lot of games and they’re still coming back from injuries, we’ve got to work them into the program as well because this is the way the games are going.

“The game is fast, it’s physical, it’s a tough game. You can see the refs, they just want to speed up the game and they’re pushing, which is great.

“It’s great, but it takes a toll on our players. So that’s why we need everyone to be faster, fresh and fit for the games ahead.”

Umaga agrees, complimenting his team’s culture and willingness to get behind whatever player is wearing the jersey.

“We know that you have to have depth in your squad to do well in this competition, and as you’ve seen, when we’ve had injuries, we’ve been able to replace them.

“I think the other thing we’re creating a really competitive culture within our group, being competitive for the spot, but not in terms of we want that spot, but also we want to support whoever gets that spot.”