The debate over the future of Moana Pasifika is heating up, because while many players past and present are calling for the Super Rugby franchise to be saved, there are others who say it was always doomed to fail.
The club’s critics argue that finance is only part of the problem, and they accuse Moana of failing to deliver on a commitment to nurture and develop players who could go on to play at international level for Tonga and Samoa.
Former Tonga international and Melbourne Rebels player, Eddie Aholelei, says the saddest aspect of Moana Pasifika folding is that it means that 48 players will lose their jobs.
“The players, the staff and their livelihood….I just hope that their able to secure their future,’ said Eddie Aholelei.
“I know as a former player that it’s a tough situation to be in to not know what’s going to happen next year.”
Since its inception the, Moana Pasifika was designed to be a player pipeline which would trickle down into Tonga and Samoa’s national squads. At the 2023 Rugby World Cup, more than a quarter of each country’s players were on the books with Moana.
The Chief Executive of the Tonga Rugby Union, Aisea Aholelei, says Moana Pasifika have been a source of inspiration for many local upcoming players who hope to make it as professionals.
However, former Manu Samoa international, and the founder and CEO of Pacific Rugby Players Welfare, Dan Leo, says there is more to the Moana crisis than money.
“I think it’s time for us to be brutally honest. If we look at the key metrics of what Moana was supposed to achieve…there’s been questionable outcomes in terms of player development and retention of the players was one of them over the last years we’ve seen the top players not play,” said Leo.
The Melbourne Rebels were thrown out in 2024 after they got into financial strife, and four years before that all five South African teams bailed out, not least because of disagreements with NZ Rugby.
In Australia attendance figures are down, and on the international scene Tonga and Samoa are finding it harder and harder to compete with other second tier nations, let alone tier one countries like their Pacific neighbours Fiji.
“My gut feeling is that super rugby won’t be around in the next three or four years,” said Leo.
The Ikale Tahi’s assistant coach and former captain Nili Latu is critical of the way Moana has managed some of its players, notably Fijian born and raised star centre Timoci Tavatavanawai who represented Fiji at under 20 level, but then switched his allegiance to the All Blacks.
“I think there are a few questions we would like to be answered by Moana itself. Once you play for Moana do you make yourself available for Tonga and Samoa? We’re finding out that’s not the case,” he said.
