The Pasifika Medical Association, majority owner of Moana Pasifika, has declared the Super Rugby Pacific franchise unviable, raising fears that rugby union's Pacific heartlands are under unprecedented threat from the NRL's aggressive expansion and a massive government-funded war-chest.
Pacific Rugby at a Crossroads
Rugby union has been the national sport of Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands for over a century, introduced by British soldiers to further the Empire. Fiji has led the way with two Olympic gold medals in sevens and a 15s side now ranked neck-and-neck with Australia. Players of Pacific and Polynesian descent are invaluable to international teams worldwide. However, the collapse of Moana Pasifika signals a new crisis.
The NRL's $240m War-Chest
The Australian government is funding a $600m NRL franchise in Papua New Guinea, with $240m earmarked for poaching talent and creating pathways across Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands. According to Rugby Australia insiders, the NRL aims to "kill rugby in the Pacific" by siphoning off the best players. This plan has sparked fierce debate, with one political leader calling it "colonial intonations" and former Wallaby captain David Pocock, now a senator, saying it "seems designed to set up a talent pathway for league."
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a South Sydney Rabbitohs diehard, shares this passion with PNG's PM James Marape. The new NRL club, the PNG Chiefs, will offer tax-free dollars, a $66m luxury living compound, and access to a private island. This soft-power politics aims to counter China's fast-growing influence in the Pacific.
China's Rugby Diplomacy
China has become more active in rugby diplomacy, investing in sporting infrastructure and partnering with national rugby bodies. "These aren't symbolic gestures; they're long-term, visible investments reflecting a broader strategic effort to build influence," said Dan Millis, RA's head of Pacific partnerships. Unable to compete with Australian funding for NRL, the governments of Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga are now signing sponsorship deals with China. The Fiji team travels in a bus emblazoned with pandas and the strapline "Love from the People of Guangzhou," and Chinese women's sides recently played in the 2025 Coral Island Sevens tournament.
Moana Pasifika's Demise
Moana Pasifika was formed in 2022 by merging Samoa, Tonga, and the Cook Islands to fill the void left by South Africa's withdrawal from Super Rugby. World Rugby initially funded it with $7m-$10m annually until 2024, when the Pasifika Medical Association became majority owners. However, the PMA has now declared the franchise "unviable" and is winding it up. Club chair Kiki Maoate urged fans to "stand by your team today" and said the story has been one of resilience, but fresh investment is needed.
Tana Umaga and Sir Michael Jones are exploring interest from Kanaloa Rugby, a pro-rugby franchise from Hawaii. Rugby Australia has proposed the Veimoana Partnership with Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga to develop a Super side via domestic competitions, seeking government funding. New Zealand Rugby remains supportive but acknowledges the challenges.
On-Field Struggles
In their first three seasons, Moana finished 12th, 12th, and 11th. In 2025, with All Blacks star Ardie Savea as captain and Umaga as coach, they improved to seventh. But this year, with Savea on sabbatical in Japan and Umaga taking an assistant coach role with the All Blacks, results nosedived to one win from 11 games.
Why Moana Failed and Fiji Succeeded
Fiji's Drua have thrived by playing home games in Suva and Lautoka before huge crowds in an electric atmosphere. All games are broadcast live to over 360,000 local devices, viewed by more than half the population. Drua tourism injected $F108m ($68.5m AUD) into Fiji's economy last year. In contrast, Moana played as wanderers in empty arenas across New Zealand, with their base city of Auckland dominated by the Blues and NRL's Warriors.
Fiji has almost a million citizens and Papua New Guinea between 11 and 17 million. But tiny nations like Samoa (220,000) and Tonga (104,000) struggle to retain homegrown talent. "The gap between where we are internationally to where we need to get to is very big," Umaga says. "Without Moana to bridge that gap, it's going to be tough."
